Ein Sof: Humanity's Worth
by Shidou Haruka
Summary: Humans are known to be weak. They are feeble and easy prey for most supernatural species. But the fact is that it is humans that thrive on earth, not any other species. Because it is from the weakest of species that the brightest of stars can be born, and together, these small lights can outshine the very sun itself. Book 1 of the Ein Sof series. Current Arc: Stolen Excalibur arc
1. File 1

**I was planning for this to be an alternate version of Eastern Exorcist but somehow the premise changed again into something very different. Shidou Haruka now doesn't possess any legendary weapon or something of that level or any sacred gear. He's a freaking, bona-fide human with no powerful weapon or extra equipment. Damn, he gets weaker with each version. Well, this doesn't mean that I'm abandoning the Eastern Exorcist. This is an alternate story and has no relation to that one.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD**

* * *

 **File 1: Shidou Haruka**

 _The boy grits his teeth in frustration as he look up at his match opponent. Those yellow eyes looking down on him as if mocking him really gets on his nerves._

 _But she had won their match… yet again for the third time. And those eyes hidden beneath locks of blue hair doesn't even feel content. It is as if she finds it natural for her to win against him and that more than anything else annoys him._

 _He knew he is faster, he knew he is more skilled even if not by much when compared to her. But there is one decisive reason why he had never won against her. And that reason is now leveled on his neck._

 _It is a large blue broadsword with golden edge that anybody from the church would recognize, the Holy Sword Durandal. That sword is the reason why he had never managed to win against her._

 _Once the match was settled, she removed the sword from his neck and walk away. But before she walked too far, she turn back to him one last time and said._

 _"There's no point in challenging me again. You who do not have a sacred gear or chosen by a holy sword. There's no point. This is the difference between us."_

 _She said to him. The boy look down on the ground dejected and frustrated. That's their difference. She is special, he is not. She is blessed, he was not. This is the difference between someone who was chosen by a holy sword and him, someone who has nothing to rely on other than his own ability._

 _"Onii-sama."_

 _His sister tried to reach out to him, to comfort him. But he slapped her hand away as he stood up from the ground while dusting himself as he walk away._

 _"The difference huh…"_

 _He muttered to himself._

 _"Then I shall prove it. That someone without a sacred gear or a legendary weapon can be strong."_

 _On that day, after his third defeat to the Durandal wielder, Shidou Haruka swear that he will surpass them, those people who possess power freely given to them._

* * *

-Present day-

A young teen with chestnut hair and green eyes wearing a suit stood in a corner drinking wine as he try to keep himself inconspicuous among the many party guests. He watched as all the guests mingle around socializing as is the norm in a fancy party such as this. He sighs as he look down on the glass containing red wine that he has been drinking although he's not considered an adult yet in his home country but it's not like it matters.

[Executor-san, have you found the target yet?]

Shidou Haruka heard the voice of a young girl coming from his earpiece, calling him with his codename while in the field. Instead of voicing his answer though, he simply thought it like in telepathy.

'Not yet. He will probably appear when the party goes in full swing. I did notice several other vampires though, around two dozens of them.'

Haruka replied to the girl on the other side of the magical communicator, one of the good Professor's invention that makes discreet communication much easier between them without showing sign of using magic although it is a rather complicated piece of work.

Shidou Haruka is on a mission from the church. His job is to infiltrate a mansion in a small town in Italy where disappearance had been reported. The mansion appeared around seven months ago and since then there had been cases of people disappearing. Should he find anything wrong with the mansion, his directive is to eliminate the cause of the disappearance, meaning kill the perpetrator. In this case, he had identify them as vampires.

[Vampires? Then those disappearances meant that…]

There's no need for the girl to say anything else. Haruka already know what happened to them just by identifying his target as a vampire. They have all been drained dry of blood, becoming nothing more than livestock for the vampires.

'It's the most likely outcome.'

There's no more answer from the other side. The girl is probably feeling rather down right now so Haruka decide to end transmission for the moment.

'Don't worry, I'll deal with them. Just sit back and relax and I'll report back when everything's done. See you back in Vatican, Holy Maiden.'

[Alright, Executor-san]

After the girl's reply, the transmission ended and Haruka return to observing the party once again. The vampires are still around, the guests are still socializing, it looks like he will have to wait for a while so he decided to join the guests. He then talked to several humans, making sure not to get close to any of the vampires. He even flirted with a few of the younger female guests, which there are a lot of, just to keep up appearance.

As he went around the party hall mingling with the guests like normal, he kept observing everything around him while avoiding the vampires' attention. He's quite good at it which is why he's the one sent in the first place although he prefer direct confrontation rather than this.

Haruka checked his watch. It's almost time for the host to appear. Now what to do? There are several scenarios he could think of which could either end this mission cleanly or make everything a big mess that will make his report much more a hassle to write. Obviously, he'd prefer if he doesn't have to write a long report so he will need to think which course of action would be easier on him.

It's ten minutes until midnight which is when the host will make an appearance. He spied from the corner of his vision that the vampires are starting to move. Some exited the room, some stood guard. He checked each vampires' position and calculating how fast he can get to each of them to find the perfect spot to react should things get bad. He can't go trigger happy with his gun in a hall filled with human guests after all so he will need to take them out with knives.

It was then from the corner of his eyes, he saw something interesting. A young girl with bright red hair and blue eyes wearing a party gown (obviously) appear to try to discreetly leave the party hall. He raised an eyebrow at this. Why is one of the party guest leaving at such a time? Is she someone helping the vampires?

Seeing the suspicious movement, Haruka decided to follow the girl, his training making it much easier for him to leave unnoticed even under the watchful eyes of the vampires. After all, sneaking around is his specialty.

He saw her sneaking around the mansion looking around as if searching for something. A thief perhaps? Should he apprehend her? Haruka considered as he kept his distance from the girl. If she's a thief, it's not really his problem since apprehending criminals is not really his job. He would do it if it's a normal human home though but letting her steal from a vampire doesn't sound so bad.

The girl walked through the corridors like she knew the place. There's a chance that she's a courtesan hired by a vampire. She is quite a beauty after all and other than the pleasure of blood, vampires also sometimes indulge in the pleasure of flesh. Then he saw her entering one of the rooms. He slowly approach the room she snuck into until he heard a familiar sound.

Of course she has to be the one other possible person Haruka just thought of. An assassin.

BANG BANG

The loud sound of gunshots echoed throughout the mansion as he hurriedly entered the room and there he saw the girl whose dress is now stained in blood standing over the corpse of his target, looking down on the vampire with dispassionate eyes while pointing what appears to be an ornate rifle with a blade attached to its underside at what once was a hunter of humans.

The girl immediately realized that someone was there with her and she aimed at Haruka and pull the trigger. Haruka immediately flex his hand and three sword hilts slid down from his sleeve and to his hands. He held them between his fingers and activated the blades, parrying the girl's bullet with them.

"Well… this is awkward."

Haruka said, looking at the corpse while the girl kept her rifle pointed at him. She narrowed her eyes and switch her rifle into something akin to a sword mode. So her weapon is a transforming weapon. Haruka had never seen that before. From her stance alone, Haruka knew that she knows her way with a sword.

"You… you're not one of them. What are you doing here?"

The girl asked, no, demanded.

"Ahh well, you see…"

Haruka was about to explain himself when they heard screaming and lots of footsteps approaching from the hall. He turn his head for a moment and peek out from the door and saw the vampires rushing to where he is. He turn back to the girl and was about to say something when she saw her shot the window and jumped out.

"…well, there she goes. Damn, how will I deal with this?"

Haruka grumbled. He then called the command center to report about the complication with the mission.

'Uhh, Holy Maiden, I have bad news to report.'

[Yes Executor-san? Bad news? Ohh Lord, did… did the vampires eat everyone in the party?!]

The Holy Maiden questioned, almost panicking.

'Nope. Well, we have a complication. Apparently there's an assassin after the target's life. She managed to get to him before me and killed the target. Unfortunately, she's not really subtle when killing and now I'm left to deal with the rest. Can I ask you to call the 'local authorities'? I believe the guests are currently panicking. I'll finish this as fast as possible before they police arrive.'

[A-ahh, yes, Executor-san. I will immediately contact the 'local authority'. Please be careful.]

'Thanks Holy Maiden. Executor out.'

When the transmission ended, Haruka calmly walk out of the room with blades at the ready. Not only on his right hand but he had also took out the blades in his left sleeve and set them on his left hand. With his six blades set between his knuckles, he faced the group of vampires looking almost exasperated due to the situation.

"An exorcist. He must be the one who's jeopardizing everything. Kill him!"

One of the vampires ordered. Haruka breathe and before the vampires could muster their power, He had thrown his six blades and pierced their hearts, killing six instantly with the holy weapon. These vampires are not very powerful. He knew he will not take long in dealing with them.

He drew a gun and aimed it at them. After unlocking the safety, he started shooting. The sound of his gun is loud and the speed of his bullet is faster than normal. Three bullets found their way to one skull each. Each bullet is specially made and blessed to deal maximum holy damage possible. It is stronger than a normal exorcist gun and a well-placed shot could kill even high-class devils in one shot.

A vampire had managed to get behind him and was about to rip him to shreds with his claws when he drew another similar gun and shot the vampire through the heart. Haruka smirked. They are not a challenge to him. He started shooting at the large group of vampires now gathering in his position.

"Come on, I'm not even trying."

Two vampires managed to get close to him with the usual intention of ripping him to pieces. Haruka managed to dodge by flipping backward and he shot both of them through the skull. He decided that anything fancy would be too much and simply shoot the rest of the vampires with his two guns. He switched his gun from single shot to tri-burst mode. No defense they make could stop the bullets from hitting them. Haruka made a note to thank the Professor for his wonderful customization and the bullets.

Once they're all dead, he put his guns back to their holster and retrieve his swords. He made the blades disappear and put them back into his sleeves with a simple gesture. He look around at the mess he made. Blood, bodies, and holes caused by his bullet littered the hallway.

"…I'm really not looking forward to writing the report."

He said to himself. He then glanced at the window where the girl who made his mission report more complicated escaped from. Just who is she? An assassin paid to kill his target, or maybe someone with a grudge? Either way, she owed him one for making his job harder. Haruka sighs and draw a rune for fire on the floor. All evidence must be disposed off after all.

* * *

-Vatican, the day after-

Shidou Haruka is walking down the Exorcist HQ's hall. After the mission that was technically a success despite the complication he met, he really wanted to kick back and relax. Outside interference, especially from an unknown, always made a report much more troublesome to write than it normally is.

Accompanying him is a petite blonde nun in full nun outfit complete with the veil. She is the operator that worked in the group he's a part of and was given the codename Holy Maiden. Her name is Asia Argento. She is a newer member recruited only four months ago. Although her job is mainly to become an operator for the group's missions, the main reason she's recruited is because of her sacred gear that is able to heal any injury, although Haruka suspect that there's something more to her recruitment than just that.

After all, considering the unit they're in, Asia is not really someone who should be with them.

"Next time an outside party interferes, I swear I'll skewer them with my keys."

"Ahaha, Haruka-san, there's no need to go so far."

Currently, Haruka is still grumbling about what happened yesterday and Asia is trying to help him calm down, emphasis on trying because Haruka is still complaining about the ten pages of report he had to write.

Asia was glad that somehow nobody, at least those that are human, were killed in the debacle yesterday. The gunshot ended the party prematurely and while the humans evacuate, the vampires quickly gather together to find the source of the gunshot without caring about the fleeing humans.

Although Haruka is also glad about that, it is not enough to stop him from complaining about the report he had to write. Unknown to Asia though, even if he's complaining about the report, his mind is actually more concerned about the red haired girl who killed his target. He had a feeling that he would meet her again in the near future.

"Ohh well, Asia, let's go grab some lunch."

Haruka suddenly said, surprising Asia. She followed him anyway. As they pass through one of the training ground, Haruka could hear two people sparring. Come to think of it, he had not walked through this corridor for a long time, especially since his induction to the Vatican Special Operation Section two and a half years ago.

He took a peek at the training ground and smiled. Asia noticed him smiling for no reason before walking away with her following him once again. Once he caught up to him, Asia asked him.

"Haruka-san, why did you smile when you saw them sparring? Did you use to know them?"

Asia asked because Haruka had then showed an unusually warm smile that she had never seen before and she had known him for a while. He would not smile like that for no reason at all.

"Heh, nothing, I just thought that… maybe it's time I should challenge her again."

Haruka smiled again as he left the corridor with Asia, leaving behind his sister, Shidou Irina, wielding Excalibur Mimic, sparring against the wielder of Durandal, Xenovia Quarta. It has been six years since he last saw them. It would be fun to see where each of them stands now.

* * *

 **And here's the first chapter! Different from the usual, right? In this version, Haruka and Xenovia are not very close. Haruka is also not stronger than Xenovia when they were young. In fact, Haruka lose to her three times before he decided to go crazy with his training. In this story, he has no sacred gear he could temper with to make him crazy strong or a super powerful sword that could help him fight legendary beings on equal ground. All his weapons and equipment are just special custom equipment, not legendary stuff. How will he fight his enemies now as a human with no sacred gear or legendary weapon? Let's just see how this goes.**


	2. File 2

**File 2: The Professor**

After their lunch, Haruka and Asia head deeper into Vatican until they reach an inconspicuous bookshop. The two of them greet the owner who merely nodded when he saw them. They then head to the back where there is a door protected by various magic barriers. The two of them bypass those magic barriers since their signature had been keyed in and entered the door.

They walk down a long spiral staircase which led them to a long corridor again protected by various magical traps and securities of the highest grade and again they pass through without any problem. At the end of the corridor is an elevator with several other security measures, although simpler ones. Haruka took out his keycard and tap it at the available panel. Asia also did the same. Then they stood in front of a retinal scanner. Once the procedures had been completed, the elevator door opened and the two walked in.

This is the headquarters of the Vatican Special Operation Section, the group the two of them belong to. Unlike other branches and groups in Vatican, their group is one of the most secretive in the Church and thus why their headquarters is not located in one of the large buildings above ground. There are many reasons for their secrecy, some more dangerous than the other.

The elevator leads them deep underground and when it stopped, they arrived in another corridor that has doors on each side and extend further that it's hard to see where it ends. All the doors look the same and anyone new would've gotten lost easily but Haruka is already a longtime member so he knew which door is which while Asia is still trying to memorize ever room. The duo then head towards one of the doors and entered.

They arrived in a library where all books are neatly placed into each racks in proper order. The ground is covered in red carpet and the smell of old books strongly filled the place. The two then head to the center of the library where there is a long table they can use to read. The library itself is very big and contains information that cannot be found anywhere else, not even in the exorcist HQ and there are thousands of books filling the entire library.

They didn't come here to read though but to see someone and that someone is sitting on one of the sofa reading a book. He is a middle-aged man with short dark brown hair with blue eyes wearing priestly clothing. He looks distinctly British. This man is one of the special unit's member and the one they refer to as the Professor, especially since he does teach in a university in Rome.

"Professor Woodsworth."

Haruka greeted the professor who looked up from his book. His full name is William Walter Woodsworth and he deals with technology in their unit. Most of Haruka's weapons he currently uses were developed by him. He has the codename 'Professor' which is rather well-known. He was supposed to be part of the Assembly of Eight Sacrament before being scouted for the Special Operation Section.

"Ahh, Shidou, I heard about your latest mission. Outside interference eh? What bad luck. So what do you need from me?"

"What's with that tone? Can't I just come to greet my favorite colleague?"

Professor Woodsworth chuckled. This banter happen between the two of them often and they both enjoyed it. If they weren't in the library, Woodsworth would've reached for his pipe and started smoking while listening to whatever it is Haruka wanted from him, usually equipment upgrade or adjustment.

"Whenever you came to me it's either to update your equipment or you want me to do something. So, what is it this time?"

"Really, I have no ulterior motive to see you this time."

"Hmm, so you will have one next time?"

"…just shut up professor."

William began to laugh when he saw that Haruka is getting annoyed. It's not very hard to annoy him. Then he noticed that Haruka is not alone but came with Asia. When the professor saw Asia, he greeted her cheerfully. As the two people who are not constantly sent into the field, the Professor and the Holy Maiden are quite good friends despite the difference in age.

"Ahh, Asia Argento, nice to see you again. How have you been doing? Have you acclimated yourself to your new post?"

The professor asked. He was the one who was entrusted with helping Asia getting used to working with the Special Operation Section after all so he felt responsible for her somewhat. Asia nodded happily to the Professor.

"Yes! I'm starting to get used to what we are doing but thanks to everyone's help, I managed to make myself comfortable here."

"Hmm, that's good. Speaking of which, I believe you're here for Asia's weapon, correct?"

Both Haruka and Asia nodded. Figures. They only come to him directly when they need something but this time it's not Haruka rather it's Asia who needs something. The professor sighs and closed his book. He put the book back to the correct shelf and lead the two out from the library and to his lab.

The professor's lab is just like the lab of every other scientist. It's white in color and devices are scattered around the place and several computers rests on his desk, currently unused. Haruka recognize several devices but not all of them. Some are dangerous and they have been warned not to touch anything when they first came to the professor's lab.

The professor then fetched a rather large silver suitcase and presented it to Asia. The petite nun then opened the case as urged by William and Haruka. Inside the case is a miniature cross-shaped black and yellow lance. Asia picked it up and felt something draining her energy although it is in very little amount. Suddenly, the lance grew longer and larger but not too large that Asia cannot carry it or swing it properly.

"Do you like it? It's a replica of the real deal and it's not as powerful but I doubt Asia can use the real lance since it's very heavy."

"Ahh yes, that lance. It's quite heavy. I thought my back was going to break when I carried it. So this is just a replica?"

Haruka asked as he watched Asia twirl the lance in her hand with a good amount of skill. He had been helping her train with a spear as she felt most comfortable with the weapon and out of all agents in their group, he's the only one who could remotely handle a spear. There's still room for improvement but at least she won't cut herself when handling the lance like she almost did when she first started training.

"Yes. It's made specifically for Asia so it's made much lighter but without sacrificing too much power and durability. I can say this weapon could fight on par with any full-fledged legendary weapon, especially with the runes you taught me."

Haruka nodded. It is an impressive weapon indeed. Then again, even if it is a replica, it is still based on Durindana, the lance of the great hero of Troy, Hector. It will definitely serve Asia well, especially since it's specially made to suit her needs.

"Haauu!"

Clang

Well, it should serve her well… after maybe a few more months of training to make sure she doesn't trip herself while swinging her weapon, or worse.

* * *

After trying out Asia's new weapon, the professor, Asia and Haruka relax in the HQ's common room. The professor is reading a book as is Asia while Haruka is trying his best to fall asleep but is failing as he is in no way tired but he's not in the mood to do anything at the moment.

It's a slow day for them. It's like that most of the day since their group is called only when needed so most of the time they have quite a lot of time to spare, especially Woodsworth and Asia since they are not frontline agents like Haruka.

Suddenly, the professor's phone rang. Woodsworth closed his book and took his phone. He saw the caller ID and immediately answered his phone.

"Yes Cardinal?"

'…'

"I see. Please send the files to me."

'…'

"So what is the decision?"

'…'

"Then I shall inform him immediately."

The call ended and the professor turned to Haruka. He opened the laptop he put on the table earlier. He opened his inbox and after finding the file he had been sent just moments ago, he turned the screen to face Haruka, the only field agent currently available in their HQ and the best person for the job.

"We have found the assassin that interfered with your job."

The professor stated. Sure enough, there is the picture of the girl he encountered yesterday. He could never mistake those red hair and blue eyes, especially since it has only been one day. Still, the church appears to work quickly this time. Usually it would take a while to find a person based on description alone. When he read the file though, he understood why.

"She was one of us?"

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise when she saw that until six years ago, the girl was registered as an exorcist in a small town in Romania. She was thought to be killed when the exorcist team there ran afoul of a rather powerful vampire. Apparently she is very much alive and is now apparently a stray exorcist, though not officially as her survival was not known until Haruka encountered her. Even now her status still remained KIA which means she's technically not a stray at the moment. Usually in such case the status would be modified into stray exorcist immediately.

Anyway, the case was never pushed as they don't want to risk war with the vampires and since there's nothing important to the church in Romania so the whole thing is pretty much forgotten. Since this happened when Haruka was off on his training trip he didn't hear anything about it.

"Yes and her activity is worrying. She's been spotted returning to Romania earlier this day. Now, the Cardinal has given us, or rather you, a new mission. You are to find her and convince her to come back with you to Vatican."

"That's… an unusual mission. We usually don't actively hunt stray exorcists. We usually leave them alone until we cross path with any of them and even then we never capture anyone alive."

"True but the Cardinal is interested in her. She managed to survive without being found for six years. Plus she's doesn't show signs of being crazy like stray exorcists in general so the order is to apprehend, not kill. I imagine the Cardinal have something in mind for her."

Haruka turn from the professor back to the image of the red haired girl with a thoughtful look. Romania and a stray exorcist they had no idea about until now. It's a recipe for disaster. Then again, that's why they are around. To take care of these troublesome things that shouldn't be left to normal exorcists.

"Should the Papal Inquisitor hear about this, they will definitely hunt her down. Your mission is to take her back before the Inquisitors hear about her."

Haruka nodded. The Cardinal has an interest in her and to be honest, he does too. If the Papal Inquisitors who specialized in hunting heretics learn about her there's a large chance that she will be hunted down. This will be a race against time. Will he manage to secure her first or will the Inquisitors learn about her first?

"Guess I'm going to Romania next."

"Splendid! I shall prepare your equipment right now."

As William left him and Asia to take care of his equipment, Haruka once more browse through the profile of his target on the screen. It is six years old and very likely outdated but any info is better than nothing. Not to mention that the girl is quite beautiful although Haruka does have a few choice words for her when they will eventually meet. He's still not letting go of that grudge over his longer report.

"Esther Blanchett huh? So that's her name."

* * *

 **And done. Sorry if it's short but this chapter is just the opening to the first arc of this story, the one I call the Esther Blanchett arc. This chapter is also a small introduction to Professor William Walter Woodsworth. Both Esther and Professor Woodsworth are characters I borrowed from Trinity Blood. I have at least one more character I borrowed from Trinity Blood that will appear later.**

 **So, I hope this story is off to a good start. I even give a replica of Durindana to Asia because well, she's in a special unit now so she needs to be able to defend herself should it be needed. Anyway, next chapter will be Haruka arriving in Romania and meet Esther for the second time. This will be a fun arc, considering the situation with the vampires and all that.**

 **Hang Tuah: The matter with Xenovia will be reserved for the DxD cannon arc.**

 **Emiya-excalibur: My idea is actually a combination of Kotomine Kirei and Emiya Kiritsugu.**


	3. File 3

**File 3: Knowing Is Power**

Haruka carefully read all information he is provided about his current target. This will be the first time he's ordered to bring someone back alive. Not that he is complaining, he is not bloodthirsty, but it is still unusual. Then again, unusual mission is right up their alley. It's what they're made for.

Haruka is currently waiting in the professor's lab for his equipment. According to the professor, since he will be infiltrating the very capital of the vampires, he will have to leave behind anything that would identify him as a member of the church. They don't want to risk an open conflict with the vampires… although some part of their 'glorious organization' would probably want just that.

As he read through the file for possibly the tenth time, Haruka remember that there is something he needs to know, especially if he were to succeed in this mission.

"You know, I can't just search for Blanchett randomly in Romania. Any idea what she's doing there?"

Haruka asked. Yes, the most important question is her motive for being there in the first place. If he doesn't know what she's aiming for, he would have to search for her randomly and that would take a lot of time during which Eshter could have completed her objective or die trying and it's mission failure for him.

"Her motive huh. True, first thing we need to do is to find out her objective. I doubt she plan to enter vampire territory just for fun."

William replied, now smoking his pipe without refrain since they're in his lab.

"Hmm, perhaps we can take a guess. Do we have anything on that case six years ago?"

Haruka asked, referring to the case about the slaughter of the Romanian exorcist group Eshter was part of. The data about Eshter they received details only her basic profile and history but there are none about the incident six years ago. They will need to start from the day she disappeared.

"I believe we have something in the archive. Wait a moment while I check."

The professor said as he left to fetch what they need from their archive. Due to the nature of their group, their archive contains every report ever made starting from official reports to unofficial reports, or in other words, things that officially never happens. Things swept under the rug should also be there too so it's only a matter of finding the right file.

While waiting, Haruka let his mind wander to the two people he saw earlier today. Shidou Irina and Xenovia Quarta, his sister and… the wielder of Durandal. He had heard from Griselda that they are frequently partnered together although that partnership started off uneasy. He heard that Irina blamed Xenovia for him leaving for years to train. She's not exactly wrong though.

He used to be close to Irina, his little sister who is only one year younger than him. From the looks of it, Irina had received the holy sword element and is now able to wield Excalibur Mimic. Haruka frowns. He himself had been offered the holy sword element so that he may wield one of the Excalibur fragments but he had refused it. After all, if he simply accepted something like that, it would defeat the purpose of his harsh training. Besides, the Professor's creations works better than any holy sword fragment anyway. Even the Inquisitors use his creations for their weapon.

He won't fault Irina for accepting, though that doesn't mean he should like it, especially because of the cost needed to be able to make that holy sword element. He had heard about it from the professor. After all, William was the one who took over the research and made a better method to create those holy sword elements after the fiasco with the Eight Sacrament.

Haruka heard the lab door open once again and saw William entering with a folder in his hand. Reminiscing the past can be done later. Right now they have a job to do and a girl to figure out.

* * *

-Esther-

For six years she had been planning for this day.

She had planned, she had trained, she had done everything in her power to make sure she won't fail. And today will be the day when she can finally avenge them.

She can still remember that day clearly. That day when her teacher pushed her down the river before she was killed by that damnable vampire. She could still remember her last words.

Live.

But how can she live when the price was the life of everyone she knew? No, she will not rest until they have been avenged. She cursed her powerlessness. But this time it will be different. This time she knew her sacred gear, she knew what it could do and she knew she could use it unlike back then.

Eshter summon her sacred gear. The rifle/blade that had served her well in this past six years seems to glow in the darkness of the sewer. Soon she will have her chance. She just need to be patience and the path will clear itself.

With everything ready, she knelt and clasp her hand together.

"Lord, please forgive me… and give me strength. Sister, please watch over me."

She prayed. This will be all or nothing. She knew that vengeance is not in accordance to what she was taught but she knew she will never have a closure until she could kill that vampire. She had hunted them one by one, those who killed her comrades, and this is the last one.

And the most powerful one.

Eshter open her eyes and stood up once again. Resolved to see things through to the very end, she look at her watch. It's time. Eshter began walking slowly deeper into the sewer with only a single goal in mind.

"Prepare yourself Marius Tepes. I'm coming for you."

* * *

"If I have to say, based on the info we have and considering the situation, this is a case of survivor's guilt and vengeance."

The professor said after he's done examining all the data they had. Papers strewn across the table with Haruka reading a few. He is inclined to agree with William after reading what happened. It fits. Eshter is the only survivor of that skirmish and she is going around killing vampires. He could guess that perhaps his target yesterday was one of the vampires responsible.

"Sounds quite right. But we haven't found out the crucial part. What makes her come to Romania? Exterminate the vampire race? No, I don't think she's crazy enough to believe she could do that alone."

Haruka doesn't think Eshter has a large goal such as that. No, her goal is more specific. After all, after killing his target, Eshter immediately made her escape to avoid being captured by him or by the vampires. She doesn't seek conflict needlessly. It's just a guess though, one he thinks is quite accurate since when he saw her, he saw coldness instead of madness. She's focused.

"Hmm, I believe I have the answer to that."

William showed Haruka a paper. He took the paper from William and began reading through it. When he finished reading, he knew things just got more complicated and sighed. Of course there's nothing easy in their job.

"Her target is Marius Tepes, a member of the Tepes clan, the leading clan of the male vampire faction."

The skirmish was led by Marius Tepes and if they guessed correctly, Esther is targeting him right now. It's why she came to Romania; to hunt the biggest target and probably the last one in her list. Yes, this is not good. This will cause trouble with the vampires although to what scale is currently unknown but it is still trouble nonetheless.

"I will head out at once. We can't let her succeed… maybe."

William snorted at Haruka's last word. Yes, even he can't decide if it's a good thing to just let Eshter kill Marius Tepes or not. Not many of them have a good opinion of the vampire lord after all, even when compared to other vampires. With Haruka ready to depart, the professor tossed the equipment he will be using for this mission and his disguise.

When Haruka unfolded the clothing he was given, he saw that it is a magician's robe. There's also a specially made hairspray for him along with his knives. It looks like he will only be armed with his knives this time since his other weapons scream 'exorcist' too much. It's not the first time he had to pose as a magician and it certainly won't be the last.

He also noticed that there is no communicator. That means this mission is not above the board and nothing is allowed to be traced back to the church. Should he fail, he will be cut off and left by himself. Haruka sighs. He's been on these kinds of 'illegal missions' too much. He really want to request more official missions.

Haruka took of his priest uniform and put on the magician's robe after spraying his hair black. He strapped his knives to his legs and put on a pair of black gloves. Done putting on his disguise, he waved to the professor and prepare to teleport to Romania using magic.

"Well then, see you later professor."

And the church agent disappeared into a magic circle.

* * *

Feeling nervous would be an understatement.

Eshter Blanchett is fully aware that she's infiltrating a city full of vampires. No matter how confident she is with her plan and knowledge, she can't help but feel extremely wary with each step she takes. After all, there's only one of her and countless number of them just above her. If she were found at this point, she will need to abandon her attempt, that is, if she could escape alive.

Eshter walked slowly and check every corner whenever she turn. It is still a long way from the Tepes mansion. She steeled herself as she continue walking, holding her sacred gear tightly in her hands in preparation for anything. Even if she succeed, there's a large chance that she still won't make it out alive. Even so, she decided to continue, for the life that was lost in the hand of that vampire. This night will end in one of two ways, her death, or the death of Marius Tepes.

While Eshter had begun infiltrating Romania slowly through the sewers, another person had just arrived to do the same but he does so above ground.

Shidou Haruka had just arrived in the outskirts of vampire Romania through the use of teleportation circle. Setting up runes on his clothing that would help him in sneaking into vampire territory, he then look at the thick fog covering the whole city. This is the second time he came here. The first was with his Master when he was training but they never got too far.

Even so, he knew the layout of the city from his last visit and know where he needs to go. His current objective is to intercept Eshter before she could complete her own objective. To do that, he will need to arrive first to her destination, which would be the Tepes mansion.

Haruka doesn't know whether to consider her brave or stupid. Infiltrating a city full of vampires AND infiltrating a vampire lord's mansion to assassinate one of them all by herself, that is really something else.

With his objective clear in mind, Haruka started moving. He'd done this before and he could do this again. As much as he doesn't like it, he is the best among his peers in infiltration and he will proof that his reputation is well earned.

"Well then, let's get this over with."

The church agent then leapt onto a rooftop and began his trek towards the Tepes mansion. Now it is a race between him and Eshter.

* * *

 **And done. Eshter has begun her infiltration and so does Haruka. It's a race of who can reach their objective first. But well, it won't be that simple. Anyway, again, this chapter is not very long because there's nothing very important in it yet. This is just the beginning though as things will definitely pick up when Haruka and Eshter meets.**

 **Anyway, have I mentioned that this story will have a harem? Although it is a small one. Haruka will be paired with 4 girls that I have decided already. 2 DxD girls and 2 Trinity Blood girls. Eshter is obviously one of them. I won't add anymore to his harem even if requested.**

 **Guest: I wouldn't call Freed normal since he's crazy, he did wield Excalibur, and he became an abomination in the end. As for the decision to give Asia a weapon, it's because all member of the unit are required to at least be able to defend themselves. As for Servants, there is an arc planned involving a Fate Servant but there are no heroic descendants in Haruka's unit.**

 **emiya-excalibur: Somehow Asia using a spear just clicks with me. Plus I already have a barrier specialist in the unit.**

 **giacomoX: No, although I might add a Crusnik, not an OC but a DxD character that I could turn into a Crusnik.**

 **Guest: So far I only have 1 Fate character I plan to use. The rest from Nasuverse are weapons and concepts.**


	4. File 4

**File 4: Finding Esther Blanchett**

Haruka knew how troublesome it is to sneak into Romania. He had done it once and now he's doing it again. Last time, he was not alone and had the help of his teacher who, in her great wisdom, decided that it was a good idea to play a game of tag while trying not to be found by the vampires. Thank goodness that they kept things in the city and didn't go into the more guarded area.

Unfortunately, today he will need to infiltrate deeper than last time and without the help of his teacher. Surprisingly, despite being someone high profile, his teacher can be sneaky when she wants to. Now Haruka is trying to remember all his lessons in being sneaky to make sure he won't face… complication while on his way to his destination.

The first thing he need to remember is that vampires have sharper senses. So he etched runes on his boots that would dampen the sound of his steps. He doesn't have to worry much about their sense of smell as long as he's not bleeding. As for hiding from sight, he had cast an illusion spell on himself. It's not his best subject though so it's better that he makes sure that he's not seen at all.

Sometimes he really wanted to dump missions like this on someone else. But again, none of their members are subtle enough for infiltrations. Sometimes he rue that his skill set made him the best choice for covert operations.

But this time it is at least a mission he's quite willing to do even if not ordered. He did have to pay Eshther back for making his mission report longer than necessary. Although he's still contemplating whether he should apprehend Esther before or after she kills Marius.

Haruka is sticking to the rooftops while slowly heading towards the Tepes mansion. He carefully check his surrounding for any vampire presence. It is a slow progress but he can't just simply run on rooftops. Although that might be faster, it also increases the chance of him being found.

He slowly leaps over buildings while walking carefully on rooftops, keeping his head down. He has to be careful because the mist makes it harder for him to see anything. Although he's using magic that enhance his eyesight, it's still not enough to ease his worry.

Haruka wonder how Esther will be infiltrating the mansion. He had not seen signs of her anywhere. Too bad for this mission he won't be getting any support so he can't ask Asia for an opinion, although he might have an idea. After all, although he doesn't use it much, underground is always the preferred venue when sneaking into a city, especially one with a massive sewer system.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know the layout of the sewer system. If he tries to go underground, it's more likely for him to get lost and ended up somewhere else. Though he has no doubt that if Eshter took the underground route she is sure to know the layout like the back of her hand.

Haruka sighs. Despite the risk, he really has no other choice than to go by rooftops. It's the fastest way and the only way he has that won't end up with him being lost… as long as he could navigate through the mist.

While Haruka is progressing with his infiltration, Esther too is getting closer to her destination. She had memorized the map of the sewer system by heart and had infiltrated it several times in the past as training while bidding her time until she was strong enough to defeat her main target.

She had been navigating through the huge maze of a sewer skillfully. Everything is starting to pay off. The trek through the sewer might be long and not very pleasant but it will soon end. The nervousness she felt when she first started had turned to excitement from the adrenaline.

Esther of course did not forget to be mindful of her surroundings. So far she had dispatched three vampires who are working in the sewers. It's a good thing that their whole body burn to ashes when killed by holy weapon. Leaving corpses around would attract the attention of other vampires.

Fortunately for Esther, the vampires she encountered so far are all low class. Then again, the purebloods are too proud to step into the sewers so their pride serves her purpose well this time. She doesn't want to fight any high-class vampires when she needs to conserve her energy to fight Marius Tepes.

Esther knew that she's very close. Unfortunately, she can't enter the Tepes mansion directly from the sewer but she knew that there's a manhole in the alleys not very far from the mansion itself. She need to exit there and then infiltrate the mansion.

"It should be around… here."

Esther took a left turn and saw a set of stairs that lead up to a manhole. She smirked and began climbing. Pushing aside the metal plate covering the manhole, Esther emerged in a deserted back alley. She got out from the sewers and closed the manhole. She put on the hood on her robe and exited the alley. As she walked out from the alley, she saw the Tepes mansion not far from where she is, just a few hundred meters away. Smiling because her objective is near, Esther carefully walked towards the mansion, not knowing that she had been spotted, not by a vampire but by a human.

Haruka smirked. It might just be a coincidence but he found her. As he had expected, she had been using the sewer to sneak into the city. He had seen her red hair before she put on her hood. She's wearing a plain brown robe to disguise herself but Haruka noticed that it has several runes etched onto it. He cannot identify their functions without seeing them directly but that's not really important at the moment.

What is important is that he found her and now to intercept and capture her, as per his order. He can't be too rough though since he need her alive. With his limited arsenal though, Haruka doubts this will be easy.

He followed her closely until he can find a good place to subdue her. He finally found it when Esther entered an alley large enough for them to fight. Immediately he put on several runes that would activate a barrier behind her and he went ahead and put on runes to block her path forward. He jumped down to the alley, startling Esther.

* * *

Esther was surprised when a man suddenly jumped down from above, blocking her path. She try to turn back but saw that a barrier had been put up. She look up and then back to the man only to see that she had been trapped inside a barrier. Esther grit her teeth and summon her sacred gear. She switched it from rifle mode to sword mode, prepared to face the robed man who stands in her path.

"Sister Esther Blanchett, please surrender immediately and I promise you that you will not be harmed."

Esther's eyes widened in surprise. He knew her name and even called her a Sister even when she's not wearing anything that would identify her as a nun. He knew who she is and that is more worrying than being found by a vampire. Esther held her sword with both hands and charged at the man, slashing at him with impressive speed. The man pulled out a knife held in reverse grip etched with a rune and block her sword.

"I am a church operative. I've been ordered to bring you back alive. Please, just come in peace."

A church operative… yeah right, he doesn't look like one. Esther did not pay him any mind and instead pull back and kicked him away. She switched to rifle mode and shot him three times, all aimed non-vital spots. Her opponent dodged one of her bullet and intercepted the other two with the help of another knife he drew.

Holding both his knives in reverse grip, the man prepare himself for another attack. Esther merely points her rifle at him but she did not shoot, knowing that it will only be intercepted. So she planned her next move. She look at the bar located just above her rifle's trigger. She will have to use it.

Seeing that Esther won't be attacking anytime soon, the man ran straight at her with knives at the ready. Esther switched her weapon back to sword mode and engaged the man in close combat. She slashed at him and he blocked. He followed up with a kick that Esther ducked under.

Esther slashed low and the man flipped backward. He threw a knife at her and she used her sword to intercept. But just as her sword met the edge of the knife, a big flash of light appear, blinding her for a moment. Esther immediately close her eyes so as to not be blinded but when she opened her eyes again, the man is already in front of her.

Esther tried to get away but the man caught her arm holding her sacred gear and with a tight grip along with a little twist, Esther winced and dropped her weapon. He got behind her and push her to the ground. With Esther disarmed and immobilized, the man let out a tired sigh.

"Seriously? You're trying to defeat a vampire lord with that level of skill? I was holding back you know, since the order is to capture you alive. I try not to draw any blood and you still lose. You won't last a minute against a vampire lord."

The man said to her. Esther growled in anger. So he's telling her that so far he had been holding back? Is she really still so weak? No, she can't accept that. Esther tried to break free from his grip but the man is strong.

"Stop struggling."

"Let me go you brute!"

Esther kept struggling. But she by now knew that the man is much stronger than her and using force won't help her at all. She tried to think of a way out of this.

"Hey, who're you calling a brute! You attacked me first! We could've done this peacefully and let me take you back to Vatican."

"No! I will not go back! Not until I avenge Sister Laura and everyone else!"

Esther force her whole body to move, surprising the man. She even let her right arm that's held by the man twist in an unnatural direction as she force herself to turn around to face him. Holding back the pain from breaking her arm, she raise her left hand and her sacred gear reappear with its barrel pointed at the man's face.

His eyes widened and he immediately get off her, barely fast enough to avoid being shot in the head. The holy energy bullet ripped through his hood though and then disappeared when it hit the barrier. Esther got up while panting due to the extreme pain but she held it back with willpower alone.

Esther checked the bar on her rifle and seeing that she had charged enough power for her next shot, she aimed and pull the trigger. This time, instead of a single energy bullet, a large blast of holy energy shot out from the barrel like a powerful energy canon.

The man's eyes widened and he jumped up high, using his knife to stab the wall to hang on to as the alley was vaporized by an energy cannon made of pure holy energy. The blast hit the barrier and an explosion happen. Half the buildings along with the runes keeping the barrier up were gone.

Esther's vision began to blur as she can no longer hold back the pain from her twisted arm and using that blast took up a large amount of her energy. It was supposed to be her trump card but she was forced to use it on his current enemy. She dropped to her knees and as she felt herself feeling very tired. The fatigue from using her trump card coupled with the pain from her injury doesn't help her at all in maintaining her consciousness. The last thing she saw before darkness took her was the figure of a young man with black hair running towards her.

* * *

Shidou Haruka immediately rushed to Esther Blanchett's side as she fell unconscious. That was an insane attack. He had not expected that at all. He also didn't expect her to risk injuring herself just to break free from his grip. He has to admit, the girl has guts and the will to pull off things people normally won't do.

"You are an interesting person, Sister Esther."

Haruka smiled. Yes, she is interesting. He had never met someone as driven as her… well, maybe one. Still, the girl impressed him.

Knowing that soon the place will be swarmed by vampires, Haruka pick up the unconscious Esther and immediately ran out from the alley. They will need to find a place to rest. With the whole town on full alert, there's no way he can get out without being noticed. Plus there is the matter of her injury.

It seems that they won't be getting out of Romania for a while.

* * *

 **And done. This is a rather difficult chapter since I can't decide what to actually do. In the end I decided that Haruka would confront Esther before she reached Marius Tepes and make this scenario. The fight scene is also difficult because it's not a kill or be killed situation so I try to have Haruka hold back since the objective is to capture Esther alive. But the most difficult is writing how Esther escape from Haruka's grip since it's not easy to put those into words even if I can imagine it. Well, at least I'm done with it.**

 **But the Romania arc is not ending yet even if Haruka had secured Esther. They can't escape so what will they do now? All I can say is that next chapter or the chapter after that will feature another one of the main heroine of this story, Valerie Tepes.**

 **Guest: Valerie will appear. She is a main heroine.**

 **Reader713: You got wrong with Asia. As for the last heroine, she will appear at the end of this arc.**

 **Speaking of which, I have a new idea. I want to write another Shidou Haruka story but this time I'm not pairing him with Xenovia. Tell me, how many of you would like a forbidden pairing? Yes, my next idea is a Shidou Haruka x Shidou Irina story! Should I write it? The brother x sister pairing is just so tempting to write.**


	5. File 5

**File 5: An Unexpected Visit**

Haruka breathe out in relief as he watched more vampires pass by the house he's occupying without a second glance. He and Esther are on the second floor of a small house he randomly entered just moments earlier. Runic arrays had been applied on every corner of the room to hide their presence from the vampires.

It was a hard work. Haruka had to work quickly in applying those runes while making sure that they stay unnoticed. He's just glad that he didn't make any mistake. After seeing that the coast is clear, Haruka then turn to the main reason why he's even in this situation in the first place.

Esther Blanchett is resting peacefully on the only bed the room provided. Her right arm resting on her abdomen no longer bent in an odd way. The first thing Haruka did after setting the runes was to fix her arm. She was promptly awakened by the pain but impressively, she didn't scream out loud. She immediately dropped back to the bed and he put her to sleep immediately with a simple touch on her forehead. A nifty little trick he learned from his teacher to force someone to rest if they're exhausted. She's quite exhausted if he could put her to sleep so easily.

Haruka stare down at the sleeping redhead that started all this. Like he and the professor had thought, her motive is indeed vengeance. Not something new. But unlike those who are constantly angry and filled with hatred, Esther is calm and focused. She didn't let emotion take full control of her. Vengeance still drives her but she does not lash out at everything but instead focus her mind on a purpose, the elimination of those responsible. She's very determined to see it through to the very end.

Determined enough to break her arm just to escape his grasp and then blast a whole block using all the power she has to the point that it drains a lot of her stamina.

She's not an ordinary exorcist, that's for sure. Now Haruka is even more determined to bring her back to Vatican. She can become a great asset if trained properly. The problem is her desire for vengeance. If Haruka were to bring her back right now, she will never have her closure and it will hinder her from reaching her full potential. There is the option of helping her take her vengeance but… Marius Tepes is a pureblood and of the Tepes family to boost. Killing him will have repercussions.

Then again, as long as they do not implicate the church then it is a possible option. It's quite tempting anyway. But is it worth it? That's the only question that matters now. Is the risk worth the reward? It's hard for him to decide. He doesn't like to think of people as if they were assets to be used anyway. It's just not him.

Haruka waited a whole day and night for things to calm down while periodically applying healing spell on Esther. After a full day, the vampires have started to calm down. They haven't been found which means his runes are working perfectly. The vampires are still on alert but not as much as yesterday.

Haruka then hear a small moan and saw Esther began to stir. Her eyes opened slowly and suddenly they shot open fully and she jumped up from the bed. She look around and caught sight of him. She immediately draw her sacred gear and point its barrel at him. Haruka raised both hands, showing that he has no desire to fight.

"I'm not here to fight you, sister Blanchett."

"You… you claim to be from the church."

"Yes I am. I was sent here to retrieve you by orders of Cardinal Vasco Strada."

Hearing the name of a legendary exorcist who once wields Durandal, Esther's eyes widens. She did not expect to be noticed by someone so important and to the point that an agent was sent to subdue her. That is, if the person she is looking at is indeed an agent of the church as he claims to be.

"…show me proof that you're an exorcist."

Esther demanded. He looks more like a magician than an exorcist though that can be chalked up to disguise.

"I'm sorry but I left everything that could identify me as a church operative back in Vatican. This mission is top secret and since this takes place deep in Vampire territory, I was ordered to not implicate the church in the event that something happens to me. So for now, you can only take my word for it."

He does have a point. Esther still feels suspicious about him but so far he seems to be straightforward with her. Plus, if he wanted to capture her for anything other than bringing her back to the church, he could've put her to sleep and escape without waiting for her to wake up.

Esther put away her sacred gear. She'll trust him… for now. Besides, he's strong and she doubts she could do anything to him if he is serious. He was taking care not to use more force than needed when they fought and if he was aiming to kill or maim, he would've ended the fight sooner. Esther knows when she's outclassed.

"can I at least know your name?"

She asked. The young man stared at her for a while before answering her.

"My name is classified when we're in the field. I'll tell you when we got back to Vatican. For now, you can use my codename."

A codename. That's probably the most she can get out of him. Esther is sure that he's not an ordinary exorcist. He is too different from the ranks and files to be one. The Church does have several elite teams and sub-organization of exorcists dealing with different fields. For example there is the Assembly of Eight Sacrament that deals with research, retrieval, and protection of holy artifacts. There is also the Chivalric Order that mainly works to defend Vatican from attack. The Exorcist Agency is the largest organization in terms of size and is the main military power of the Church.

The most elite organization in the church though is the Papal Inquisitors. They consist of powerful exorcists specially trained and possess unwavering loyalty to God and is under the direct command of the Pope. Only fifty people can become Inquisitors and they are the most elite and loyal soldiers of the Church.

Is this man an Inquisitor? They are the only group that Esther would think to have an operative capable of solo mission. Exorcists are usually put into pairs at least for missions and with the secrecy and level of skill, this is something she could suspect coming from a Papal Inquisitor.

"My codename is Executor."

"…are you an Inquisitor?"

Haruka chuckled and shook his head.

"Nope. My division is entirely different from the Papal Inquisitor. We specialize in solo operations with high mortality rate behind enemy line."

Haruka told her. He's a little amused that he would be mistaken with an Inquisitor. Then again, his group is not really well-known. At most, only the Cardinals, the Pope himself, and the Papal Inquisitor that knew about them in full. Then again, that's the point. They do missions that are normally too dangerous or not done at all by the rank and files and even the Inquisitors.

"A special division?"

"Something like that. Now since you're up we can get back to Vatican, although we'll have to wait a bit until the coast is clear."

Haruka checked the condition outside once again through the window. Getting out is always the hard part but he will manage somehow. He'd done it many times before. The trick though is getting Esther out with him. He usually does missions like this alone and the objective was to kill and if it is a retrieval missions then it's usually retrieving objects, not people.

Haruka turn back to face Esther and again the barrel of her rifle is being pointed at him. Haruka groaned. He really has no time for this.

"I won't leave. Not until I kill Marius Tepes."

As expected, that will be the main problem. Haruka sighs. How could he convince her to not go through with her plan? Probably impossible without resorting to violence. He had really hoped that she would come with him nicely. Then again, even if she did, there's no guarantee that she won't attempt to kill Marius Tepes in the future. It's quite a conundrum.

Haruka was trying to think about what to do when something caught his attention at the edge of his vision. He turn around to look out the window and saw two people walking down the street towards the Tepes mansion. He recognized one of them, a woman wearing purple gothic dress. She's a magician of Hexennacht called Walburga, the wielder of one of the thirteen Longinus, the Incinerate Anthem. The other person with her, a male with silver hair, is someone he did not recognize but he is sure is not a vampire.

"Walburga? What is a leader of Hexennacht doing here?"

Haruka wonder. He narrowed his eyes as he look at Walburga. She walked as if there is nothing wrong with her being there and with their destination being the Tepes mansion, Haruka can't help but feel suspicious. He wanted to find out more about this but there's also Esther to think about. He finally decided on a course of action. He turned to Esther and said to her.

"Change of plan. We'll go to the Tepes mansion."

"Ehh?"

Esther was surprised at the sudden change in his mind. But she saw that Haruka is thinking about something. His change in mind did not come on a whim but she won't look at a gift horse in the mouth.

"So… you decided to come with me?"

"…I'll leave you to your plan. I have something else to do there. Just make sure that you are not identified as someone from the church. After we're done, you have to return to Vatican with me."

Esther nodded. That's exactly why she left her nun outfit and anything that would identify her as an exorcist behind. She does not want to drag the church into her personal vendetta. Haruka's condition is agreeable.

"That's fine. After I'm done with Marius I was planning to return to Vatican anyway. It's what Sister Laura would've wanted."

"Good. We'll head out soon. Just follow my lead."

Esther nodded again. She's fine with following his lead as long as she can reach her goal. Haruka again look at the direction Walburga went. Something is up if a human, and a Longinus wielder at that, appear in Romania. Vampires doesn't look too kindly to outsiders after all. Walburga's presence must mean that something is happening right now.

* * *

Walburga the Purple Flame, wielder of the Longinus Incinerate Anthem, entered a room while being guided by Marius Tepes. The room she entered is a bedroom with a blonde girl sleeping on the bed, a dhampir girl from what she heard. The girl is currently sleeping and it is for this girl that Walburga was specifically called.

"So this is the girl?"

"Yes, the wielder of Sephiroth Graal."

Sephiroth Graal, another one of the thirteen Longinus sacred gear. It is a powerful sacred gear that has power over soul and Walburga could sense it. This girl's Sephiroth Graal is particularly strong compared to her predecessors. Yes, her power will do good for their plan.

Walburga began her work as a magic circle appears under the girl's bed. When she's done with her, their plan can finally start for real and soon the world will fall into chaos, just like what she desired. Marius grinned alongside the magician, neither of them knowing that things won't go their way with two figures entering the Tepes mansion in the cover of darkness.

* * *

 **Not a particularly long chapter. I have nothing to say for this chapter too since it's just Esther and Haruka getting a little rest. But this arc is reaching its climax with the appearance of Walburga. Since this is the first arc there won't be a battle to the death with Walburga but that will likely happen in the future.** **Also surprisingly, the incest route idea looks well-received. I will definitely be working on that in the future.**


	6. File 6

**File 6: Breaking, Entering, Assassinating, and Kidnapping**

Haruka and Esther managed to sneak into the Tepes mansion without being noticed. It's not particularly hard for either of them. Esther had already mapped out the path she would take and she knew how to be discreet while Haruka is just used to infiltrating any places.

Well, although they make it look easy, the two of them are actually very nervous and careful when entering the place. They took great care in not being noticed by anyone because they can't just silence any vampires standing guard. Killing anyone who found them is not an option because magic can easily be detected in close proximity and killing with their blades would risk other vampires smelling the blood. It's both their luck and skill that allows them to even enter the mansion.

"So… where to now?"

Esther asked. Haruka actually have no idea where he should go from there. His objective is to see what Walburga is doing in Romania while Esther's objective is to kill Marius. They would have to split up… which is not a good idea right now. Haruka thought for a while. Whichever they wanted to do first, they have no idea where their respective person of interest is. Splitting up would make things easier but since they're in a den of vampires, it's inadvisable.

"…do you have any idea where your target is?"

Haruka asked. Esther shook her head.

"I don't. All I know is that he's here. From my observation, Marius rarely left the mansion in the past months and even when he did it is only for an hour, three at most."

Haruka nodded. There's nothing he can use from that information. That means they'll have to look for their respective target manually by checking each room one-by-one which will be a troublesome chore. Suddenly Esther remembered something and poked Haruka's arm.

"I remembered something I overheard from one of my previous target a month ago. Marius was expecting a magician to help him in some kind of plan. I didn't hear much but they said something about a dhampir girl with sacred gear."

Haruka raised an eyebrow at this new information. The magician Marius was expecting is most likely Walburga. From how Esther puts it, the Tepes prince and Walburga is probably together in the same place. But what caught his attention is this thing about dhampir girl and sacred gear.

Marius inviting a human to help him and Walburga coming all the way here for a sacred gear? That is not possible. Vampires are notoriously arrogant, especially the purebloods. They despise outsiders and even look down on their own race that are not pureblooded. Asking for help, and from a human of all thing, the circumstances must not be simple.

Walburga also won't answer a call for assistance from anyone if the reward is not enticing for her and there are not many things Marius can offer her are of interest to her, especially not a sacred gear as she possess a Longinus, the highest class of sacred gear in existence unless…

"Sacred Gear. The only kind that will attract someone like Walburga to assist Marius Tepes is if it is… a Longinus-class."

Haruka is fully aware of how a Longinus-class sacred gear could shake the balance of power in the world. He knew the full extent of the power of a Longinus. After all, the current strongest exorcist is in possession of one and he had seen him in action and at full power. If it is a Longinus then it definitely could attract the attention of Walburga, especially because she also wields a Longinus.

"This is dangerous."

If his thought is correct then this matter is much more dangerous than he imagined. Should he proceed or should he retreat? This matter is something big, bigger than he expected. He can't make any wrong move or things can be dangerous. But Walburga, Marius, and a Longinus is also a recipe for disaster that cannot be left alone.

In the end, he should've known that there is only one choice he would make. If Marius and Walburga are planning something, he has to know what it is because he doubt that it will be anything good considering who they are. Haruka sighs. Confrontation is likely inevitable and his opponent is a Longinus user. Therefore…

"Esther, do you have a gun?"

Haruka asked. Esther looked at him puzzled. She reached into her robe. She does have one to serve as backup weapon but it's only a revolver with only two bullets left. She didn't use it when they fought because it would be a waste of ammo, especially since she's been getting by with what bullets she had left on her after losing her standard issue exorcist handgun and she doesn't know how to procure more bullets other than robbing an exorcist.

Haruka took the revolver Esther gave him and look at it with raised eyebrow. He had expected to get an exorcist handgun but instead it's a Colt Army Revolver. He didn't say anything though as he reach into his pocket and pull out a bullet. He's feeling quite lucky that what Esther has is a magnum Revolver which has the same caliber as exorcist handguns. Esther specifically stole that gun because of that anyway.

"You… have a bullet with you but not a gun?"

Esther questioned. Haruka shrugs. He inserted the bullet into one of the chambers and kept the revolver.

"I always kept one bullet with me at all times as a lucky charm. Besides, this may just decide whether we can leave this place alive or not."

Haruka told her. He look around to see if there are any vampires patrolling. Suddenly Haruka felt someone tapped his shoulder. Esther gestured at him to come closer as she peeked from a corner. Haruka approacehed her and she pointed at something. Haruka's eyes followed the direction her finger's pointing and saw a room shining brightly, much too brightly, with purple light. His eyes narrowed and saw that it is not light from a lamp.

That light is possibly caused by the intense power of a magic being cast. There's a very high chance that it's where they should be heading. And as they pay more attention to it, Haruka and Esther could also hear a pained scream and a laughter coming from that particular room.

"So we have our destination. I'll enter from the window while you enter from inside the mansion. We'll flank them. Once you're there, just give me any signal and I'll break through the window."

"Alri—wait, why don't we both go through the window?"

"So we can cut off their escape route… though I doubt that they will think about escaping. Marius would kill himself before he ran with his tail between his legs when facing a human and the other one… well, I believe she's the most troublesome and she probably will have a bigger chance of killing us all than we could kill her."

"Really?"

"Well she has a Longinus, what do you expect? Which is why we need to do this right. You get Marius while I distract the magician."

Esther nodded. She was about to turn away and enter the mansion when she realized what Haruka had said and look back at him with an odd expression.

"Did you just say there's a Longinus user there?"

* * *

If there is one thing Walburga like about the extraction of a sacred gear is that it is a rather painful process which takes quite some time. As a skilled and very powerful magician, Walburga doesn't need any tool to extract a sacred gear and can do it herself so an immediate extraction was done right at that moment.

Walburga was laughing as she heard the pained scream of the blonde dhampir, Valerie Tepes, as she extract her sacred gear. She heard that it is a sub species. The girl must be very powerful if she has a sub-species sacred gear in its initial form. She had not heard many people like her. One of the few she knew, or at least heard of, is Chaos Edge Sieg who possesses a sub-species Twice Critical in initial form.

Now, despite enjoying the agonized scream of the girl, Walburga is actually both annoyed and impressed that the extraction is not done yet. She's annoyed because if the progress in anything to go by, the extraction will take at least nearly two hours when usually she can do something like this faster. It has been thirty minutes and a grail had been extracted but the process is not finished.

"Hey, I have extracted one grail from her but it looks like we're not finished. What kind of sub-species does she have?"

Walburga asked Marius. As much as she enjoy causing pain to other, hearing a girl scream when her sacred gear is being extracted will get old sooner or later, though at this rate, it's likely sooner as she's already feeling slightly bored.

"Her Sephiroth Graal sub-species came in the form of three separate grails so it will be done when all three grails are extracted."

Three grails, an interesting sub-species, that means they can give one to Marius and keep one for themselves and can still leave the last grail to the girl… not that she would but Walburga contemplate stopping after extracting that one grail and continue some other day.

"Hmm, why don't we stop for now and continue some other day? Especially when we have a vermin sticking their nose where it doesn't belong!"

Walburga suddenly shot a blast of magical energy at the wall making it explode. Marius was surprised and unhappy at the magician's sudden action, that is until a figure suddenly appear in front of them, the figure of a magician. Walburga is grinning madly when the magician appeared.

Haruka frowned. Walburga had detected him standing beside the window. His robe is etched with powerful concealing runes and he had cast a little illusion spell on himself, though he should've expected that it wouldn't be enough to conceal himself entirely from someone of Walburga's level.

"An intruder? What are the guards doing?!"

Haruka draw the Colt Revolver and pull the trigger with its barrel pointed at Marius. His speed in drawing the gun is quick like he had been doing it for most of his life. As he pull the trigger, Walburga got in between him and Marius and blocked the bullet with a barrier.

Haruka didn't show any reaction when his bullet was blocked. Instead he swipe his hand in the air and several runes appear shooting at Walburga in high speed. Walburga made another barrier and power through the runes that explode upon contact with her barrier.

"Heh, a rune user? And from those rune designs, you use Celtic runes. This is perfect. I have always wanted to fight a Celtic rune user!"

Haruka's instinct suddenly scream at him as he sensed the buildup of magical energy coming from Walburga. He dodged to the side just in time as a cross made of purple flame appear on the spot where he stood moments ago. This is the Longinus Incinerate Anthem, the Holy Cross. It creates purple holy flame that could annihilate a devil instantly.

Being a vampire that is also weak to holy element, Marius felt the heat coming from the holy flame and it coming from a user of Walburga's level, it is really an unpleasant situation for him. He grabbed the Holy Grail that Walburga had extracted and decided to leave. When he opened the door though, his eyes met with a set of blue orbs framed by locks of red hair that immediately narrowed and soon he felt something entering his body and look down to see a blade had entered his heart.

"Y-you…"

"This is for Sister Laura."

Esther whispered to Marius as he dies. She never thought that it would be that easy. But then, he had never seen her coming, especially with the amount of magical power coming from Haruka and Walburga and of course, the holy power coming from Walburga's purple flame. Now that her vengeance is done, she turn her attention to Walburga who is facing Haruka.

Esther didn't notice that as Marius's body fell, he use the last of his power to touch the grail and the grail disappear into black shadow.

"Another one? And you killed Marius? How careless can he be to get killed by someone weakling!"

Walburga turned and almost a dozen magic circles appear aimed at Esther. Haruka moved to attack Walburga while her back was turned but Walburga doesn't need to look to incinerate him. More purple flaming crosses appear to burn Haruka. He was forced to leap back to dodge, leaving Esther in Walburga's mercy.

"Die!"

All magic circles fired at Esther. The girl is sweating but she brandished her rifle which has its charge full. She had been prepared to fire this one shot to kill Marius but it looks like it will be used for something else. The moment Walburga fired her spells, Esther pulled her sacred gear's trigger and like the day before, a large beam of holy energy was released from the rifle.

The beam fortunately overpowered Walburga's spells. She didn't use her more powerful arsenal thinking that Esther is nothing to her. The magician's eyes widened as she put up another barrier quickly, blocking the beam which slightly pushed her back. Esther felt her energy being drained at a fast rate and release her finger from the trigger before she completely ran out of energy.

"It looks like I underestimated you."

Walburga growled. She was about to use Incinerate Anthem on Esther who is panting when another loud bang was heard and she had to block another bullet from Haruka's Revolver.

"Though it seems someone else wants to die first!"

Haruka dodged again and send more runes at the magician. Walburga just stood still as she simply creates more barriers to protect herself. Haruka clicked his tongue. With his limited arsenal, he knew he cannot beat Walburga. She's not even taking him seriously if her smug grin is anything to go by.

"Is that all?"

"Heh, not at all."

Haruka grabbed one of his knives and threw it at Walburga. The magician is not impressed by the seemingly desperate move… until the knife multiply into seven knives and all of them caught fire and start to accelerate. Walburga dodged and had to create another barrier to shield herself from the explosion as the knives hit the wall behind her, creating a massive hole.

"Tch, so you do know something."

"And I'm not out of the fight yet!"

Walburga clicked her tongue but was forced to move again when Esther took the opportunity to attack her at close range with her rifle in sword mode. Walburga fired a spell at Esther but it was intercepted by Haruka's rune. Esther pressed on and swung her sword with all the skill and power she has. Haruka supported her by firing several rune blasts, keeping Walburga in check.

"I got you!"

Eventually, Walburga found herself against the wall and Esther swings down her sword, almost cutting the magician if not for the shield she made over her palm to catch the blade, surprising Esther.

Feeling annoyed, Walburga kicked Esther and cast several lightning spells. Haruka again intercepted them with multiplying knives. He then moved into close range while wielding a fiery knife in his hand that creates a sword. Walburga jump back and counter with ice bullets. Haruka cut them all down with his flaming sword while also extinguishing his flame at the same time.

"That's it, no more games! I'm killing both of you!"

Purple flame began to spread from her with such intensity that both Esther and Haruka could feel its heat scorching their skin. Haruka turn to Esther and ordered her.

"Take the girl on the bed and run! I'll catch up later!"

Esther looked at Haruka right in the eyes and nodded when she saw how serious he is. She dismiss her sacred gear and ran towards Valerie. Walburga who noticed directed her flame at the red haired girl. Haruka smirked triumphantly. He had been waiting for this moment. Walburga finally exerted her power but she still didn't see them as threat. He only has a single shot but it is all he needs.

Walburga didn't even bother looking as he brandished his Revolver once again. She had blocked his bullets before so it will make no difference this time. As the flames began to soar towards Esther, Haruka pulled the trigger. As Walburga expected, her barrier blocked it… and her flame disappear.

Walburga blinked. Her flame had disappeared. She turned to see Haruka smirking with gun pointed at her. She didn't know what he did but now she's extremely pissed. She was about to cast a spell but her surprised allowed Haruka the time to move first as he grabbed Esther and the girl with one hand and create a magic circle that allows them to fly. He took three more knives from his holster and throw them into the air. The knives multiply again and Haruka activate the runes on them.

"I would love to stick around but I have places to be in. I hope we never meet again, Walburga of the Purple Flame!"

Haruka waved at the magician who is looking very angry at the momenst as fiery knives rain down on the mansion. With the Tepes mansion on fire the vampires' attention would be directed there and they can make their escape easily. Haruka allowed himself to breathe out in relief. That was too close even for him.

Should he face Walburga again in the future, he hopes he's wearing his full arsenal or things would end differently. They were lucky this time.

* * *

 **This chapter is longer than usual and honestly, the hardest chapter to write because both Haruka and Walburga are holding back big time. I mean, can't have Walburga go all explosive and balance breaker in the first arc plus Valerie is in the room and killing her is a big no while Haruka cannot use the majority of his arsenal and skill so he won't be ousted as an exorcist. Sorry if it's not too good but it's really hard having both Haruka and Walburga holding back. Of course, to compensate, their battle in the future will be more explosive and epic but that's still far in the future. Anyway, this chapter ends the adventure in Romania and next chapter will conclude the arc and set up the next arc where Irina will finally play an important role! Well, all the main casts and heroines will appear but it's Irina's turn to shine and of course Valerie along with a small development with Esther.**

 **Anyway, this arc is kinda like the replacement for the Asia arc and the next arc is the replacement for Riser arc which means the third arc is where this story will finally meet with canon DxD story in the Kokabiel arc! Although after that will be another original arc before the Peace Meeting arc. So now let's end the Romania Disturbance arc and prepare to enter the Misty London arc. If my plan goes well, this story will have around 14 story arcs and all of them have been planned. Now, next chapter will end this arc.**

 **Ohh and I've also fixed several things in the first 3 chapters including how I call the chapters as 'Files' instead.**


	7. File 7

**File 7: Vatican Special Operation Section: AX Agency**

Esther Blanchett had never been to Vatican before. She had been raised outside the walls of the capital of the Abrahamic religion and therefore it is the first time she had ever stepped foot into the city, or soon she will be.

"Ahh Shidou, I've been waiting for you."

William Walter Woodsworth, the Professor, welcomed him in their safehouse outside the city. With him is a change of clothes he prepared as Haruka cannot enter the city while dressed as a magician. Not just his priest outfit but Woodsworth also brought him his ID.

Haruka changed out from his magician disguise and put on the more familiar clothing. While Haruka went to change, Esther was supposed to wait for him. That is if Woodsworth had not given her a new nun outfit and told her to change. Apparently after their escape Haruka contacted Woodsworth and told him to prepare one for her.

Esther went to the bathroom to change. She took of her clothes and everything that had been damaged by her encounter with Walburga. As she stare at the new nun outfit the Professor provided, she also look at her reflection in the mirror. Finally, her vengeance had been taken. But… all that planning and all that training and in the end Marius was killed so easily. It's just feels anticlimactic to her. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that it's all over and now she's back to the life she once had.

Tears began to flow down from her eyes as the reality that Marius is dead finally hits her. It might not have gone the way she imagined it to be but that doesn't matter. Her friends have been avenged.

"I did it, sister Laura. You and everyone can now rest in peace."

Haruka who had finished changing overheard her sobbing. In the end, Marius is dead and the mission is complete though again things had gone out of hands. Despite knowing the troublesome report he had to give, Haruka smiled as he wouldn't have it in any other way. This is a better outcome than what he originally had in mind.

When Esther finished putting on her new clothes, she examines her new look on the mirror. The new nun outfit is very… different from what she was used to seeing. It's different from the standard nun outfit and seems to be custom-made and fits her perfectly. The primary color is black and is rather fit on the torso which shows her figure well while the skirt has an opening that shows her leg. Overall, it's easy to move in but somehow made her more… conscious of her figure.

When she walked out from the bathroom, she saw Woodsworth smiling and a chestnut haired young man wearing a white vestment and black pants along with a black coat with white crosses on the sleeve He also has what appears to be a red holy shroud worn as a small cape. Esther looked at the young man for a moment before realizing why he is familiar.

"Executor?"

Haruka bowed courteously and introduce himself proper since now he's out of his disguise and they are back in Vatican. He did promise to finally tell her his name when they're back. The special operative finally introduced himself to Esther.

"My name is Shidou Haruka, or if your naming convention, Haruka Shidou. It's a pleasure to be properly acquainted to you, sister Esther Blanchett."

"And I'm William Walter Woodsworth, Shidou's colleague. A pleasure to be acquainted to you."

Woodsworth also introduced himself. Esther doesn't know what to say other than also introducing herself.

"M-my name is Esther Blanchett. It's a pleasure to meet you, and thank you for your help, Shidou."

Esther introduced herself and also thanked Haruka. She's sure that without him she would've died before she can even reach Marius, especially with Walburga of the Purple Flame present at that time. It was only because Walburga and Haruka fighting that she had the chance to kill the Tepes prince and escape with her life.

Haruka shrugs it off as nothing. Though the use of one of his precious bullet is that he has a limited amount of is not something he could forget but it's worth it. Haruka took out the Colt Army Esther lent him and was about to give it back to her when she shook her head.

"Keep it. I don't really have much use for it now."

"Well then I guess I have a birthday present for you, professor."

Haruka tossed the gun to the Professor who sighs and put it into his pocket. With all of them now properly changed and the mission complete, they're ready to enter Vatican. Esther is feeling a little nervous finally setting foot in the holy city.

"Now then, shall we?"

Esther nodded to Haruka as the three of them finally return to Vatican city… with an unconscious dhampir being carried by Woodsworth on his back.

* * *

Woodsworth split up with them halfway through Vatican. While Haruka had to bring Esther to the Cardinal and report his mission, Woodsworth will be heading back first to the HQ to do a checkup on the vampire and will require Asia's assistance if any healing is needed. According to Woodsworth, the Cardinal is waiting for him in the Exorcist Agency, the home base of the exorcists.

Unlike them who are very few in number and whose existence is top secret to the ranks and files, the Exorcist Agency, being the main and largest military power of the Church, has their HQ in the heart of Vatican in a very large building that could accommodate their large size with numerous training ground to train new exorcists.

Hundreds of exorcists are walking through or just standing in the main hall talking to each other. When Haruka and Esther walked in, they drew several attention that made Esther conscious of herself and walk closer to Haruka. The Japanese exorcist is already used to it though. Their appearance will draw attention after all as their uniform are custom. That and only the best exorcists tend to get a holy shroud.

Haruka ignores the stares while Esther try to hide behind him. Haruka chuckled at Esther's cute action and the redhead pouted. He lead her down the hall and towards where the Cardinal is the office of the highest ranking exorcist in the building. When they finally reached their destination, Haruka knocked on the door and someone told them to come in.

"Good day your eminence."

Haruka greeted the old man sitting alone inside the office. Esther came in and when she passed through the door, Haruka closed it and locked it as well as tapping the door several times with each tap producing a magic circle that will prevent anyone from spying on them. With that done, Haruka and Esther stood in front of the Cardinal.

"Greetings young Esther. My name is Vasco Strada. I see that Shidou had succeeded in bringing you back. So I trust that nothing happened in this mission that would require my attention?"

"Uhh, about that Cardinal, there might be a slight complication."

Haruka spoke nervously as he try to piece together what he wanted to say. The Cardinal turn to him with narrowed eyes as he rest his chin on his hands and urge him to elaborate. So Haruka did.

Haruka reported that the mission went well in the first half and he did manage to secure Esther as quickly as possible but he saw something that he cannot ignore, the appearance of Walburga, and decided to investigate. Hearing Walburga's name, the Cardinal rose an eyebrow and Haruka told him what he knew, about the Longinus belonging to a dhampir and how Walburga was extracting it.

He confirmed that the Longinus in question is Sephiroth Graal and had brought the user with him back to Vatican and is now under Woodsworth and Asia's care. He also told him about his fight with Walburga and Esther managing to kill Marius Tepes but by that point Marius' death is a non-issue compared to Walburga and the dhampir.

"I see. Indeed, this is concerning. Walburga of the Purple Flame was in Romania and was extracting the Sephiroth Graal. I trust you managed to secure the Grail?"

Haruka shook his head.

"Not all of them. The dhampir's Longinus is unique in that she possess a sub-species in its base form. Her sub-species allows her to create three Grails and one had been extracted and went missing during the battle. The dhampir is still unconscious at the moment but with the extraction of one of her Grail, even if she wakes up, there will be some problems with her."

"Hmm, a sub-species."

Vasco consider everything for a moment and nodded. He lean back on his chair and addressed the two exorcists who had just returned from a very difficult battle.

"What you did was reckless and very risky but considering the situation, I will trust that you made the best judgement you can at that time. Should the Hexennact gain control of the Sephiroth Graal, things would've become even more dangerous. Have you made sure that nothing can be traced back to us?"

Haruka nodded.

"Yes. I made sure to strictly use magic, mainly runes, to make them believe I'm a magician.

"Well technically speaking, you are one."

"…quite. Walburga believed that I'm a celtic rune user so she will be on the lookout for one such magician. And since I have to use one of my 'bullet' to escape, she will pay more attention to finding me than look Esther up."

"…you used one of your 'bullet'?"

"My opponent is Walburga of the Purple Flame and I'm limited to just using rune magic. I had to resort to it."

Vasco nodded, accepting his excuse. While revealing 'the bullet' is something he's not happy about, he can see that Haruka really had no other choice. If Haruka were free to fight with his usual weapons and power then there would've been no need to use 'the bullet' but since he's limited to using rune magic, it is understandable he would need to use one against someone of Walburga's caliber. Haruka mainly uses runes for enhancement. His offensive ability when using rune magic is not exactly the best.

With Haruka's report done, Vasco turn to the redhead beside his agent. Esther stood up straight when his eyes went to her. She had of course heard of his name. The legendary exorcist Vasco Strada, former wielder of Durandal who managed to fight a fallen angel cadre to a standstill during the World War. Every exorcist alive would know his name and she is no exception.

Though Esther did wonder about a few things that came up during the Cardinal's talk with Haruka.

"Sister Esther Blanchett. I'm glad you made it back safely after facing off against Walburga. Now, since I don't have much more time here, I will get straight to the point. I was the one who ordered your retrieval after Shidou encountered you in his last mission, the one where you shot his target dead and escape while leaving him to fight the remaining vampires."

Esther is confused. He had met Haruka before? She tried to remember and finally recall someone did witness her killing a vampire during a party. Now that she recalls it, the person did look like Haruka in a suit.

"That was you?!"

"Yeah. And I'm still mad at you for killing him. It makes the report much more annoying to write."

Haruka pouted like a child while Esther stared at him incredulously. Vasco cleared his throat to get their attention back. Esther immediately tensed and turn back to Vasco while Haruka is beginning to get tired just standing.

"As I was saying, sister Blanchett, I'm interested in recruiting you to Shidou's group. Your ability to survive so long without notice and your planning skill is impressive. We need more people like you among our ranks and you will be wasted if you simply return to the Exorcist Agency that will no doubt brand you a traitor and excommunicate you for being missing for so long and simply returning out of the blue."

Vasco said to her. Now that Esther thought about it that will most likely be the case. She did went off on her own for years and just returning after being declared dead is not a good idea.

"Hence, why instead of being reinstated as an exorcist, I would like you to join our special division."

"Special division sir?"

Vasco nodded.

"But before that, I would like to ask you a few things. If it is for the greater good of mankind, will you do what you think is right? Even if it means betraying the church and working with heretics?"

Esther was surprised and caught off guard. What kind of question was that?! It's not something that should come out from the mouth of a Cardinal. That's tantamount to heresy and… slowly things begin to get pieced together in Esther's mind. She is a smart girl and this question alone began to explain several questions she had in mind.

One of that question is why Haruka uses magic. Useful or not, using pagan magic is heresy in the eyes of the church and Haruka is very skilled at it. Vasco also knew of his magic and from the question alone, she could deduce that this special division works with heretics for the greater good.

From how they put it too, Esther knew that should anything happen, Haruka and his comrades will need to cut their ties with the church if it becomes necessary. This… is something big. Her answer will decide her life from now on. But remembering what had happened and how she had lived her life and what she saw, Esther tried to steel herself. She gulped as she voiced her answer to Vasco.

After she answered him with all the conviction she could put into her words, Haruka smiled and Vasco offered her a handshake.

"Welcome to Vatican Special Operation Section, otherwise known as the AX Agency."

* * *

-The next day-

With Esther being inducted as their newest member and Haruka's big paycheck from his latest mission, he decided that he would treat Esther to welcome her as part of the Agency and invite every member of the group present in Vatican. Which means it would just be him, Esther, Woodsworth, and Asia. When Esther met the rest of the member, she didn't think there would be so few of them until Haruka told her that three more agents are still on the field.

Haruka took them to a family restaurant in the public section of Vatican where tourists are allowed and told them to order anything they wanted. It's a place he frequented from time to time, mostly with the most gluttonous member of the AX Agency who is currently on a mission, thankfully, or his wallet would be crying tears of sorrow.

He already knew what he wanted to eat and didn't even need to call a waitress since they already know him by look, by his very distinct look that attracts the attention of two robed exorcists that entered the restaurant for lunch.

He felt someone tapping him on the shoulder and look up to see a very familiar face and his eyes widens.

"Excuse me, can we joi- Onii-sama?"

"Irina!"

The robed exorcist pulled down her hood to reveal the face of Shidou Irina with wide eyes that is slowly tearing up. Haruka nervously grinned at her who proceeds to cry and hug him. Haruka return the hug and pat her head like he used to do when she was crying. They have not met since he left for his training.

"Irina, why are you crying? Who is this?"

Another voice interrupted the sibling moment, one that Haruka recognized very well. It is Irina's companion, another robed exorcist. She pulled down her hood to reveal her short blue hair that Haruka always found unique. You don't meet people with blue hairs often after all.

"It seems that you have forgotten me, Xenovia Quarta."

Haruka said to her. He's a little hurt that she doesn't remember him while he owed his current position to her in one way. After all, his continuous defeat in their spar is what made him try to become stronger and caught Vasco's eyes who recruited him to the AX.

"You are… you seem familiar."

Haruka sighs at her response.

One thing led to another and somehow he ended up treating Irina and Xenovia to lunch too, especially after Irina 'asked him nicely' to treat them for going missing for years without any contact or notice. Their parents are worried about him. Haruka made a mental note to contact his parents sometime later.

Irina sat beside Haruka and refuses to move away after not seeing her brother for so long. She ordered the same thing as him as it turns out that their tastes are rather similar. Xenovia sat beside Esther who is frowning at her rude attitude towards Haruka. The person in question doesn't seem to care though. He enjoys being with Irina again.

'Hmm, yeah, it's been to long. Maybe I should ask for a leave to visit our parents with Irina.'

As the curtain to one act closes, more new players entered the stage as the act began.

* * *

 **And so the Romania Disturbance arc ended with new players that will play in the next arc appearing. The Misty London arc will begin in the next chapter featuring Shidou Haruka, Shidou Irina, Esther Blanchett, and Valerie Tepes. So Esther finally joins the AX Agency. To be honest, I have no good idea for the group's name so I deliberately stole it from Trinity Blood, sorry for that. As for the goal of the group, it is the protection of humanity even if they have to use heretical means, which translates to 'any means necessary' to be honest. The Agency's history and how they came to be will be revealed in time. In a way, the AX Agency here is basically the Burial Agency that are somewhat nicer in practice. There are 3 more agents still not introduced and 2 of them are DxD characters while 1 is a Trinity Blood character. 1 of them will be revealed in Kokabiel arc where you will see much canon divergence.**

 **So with Valerie, Esther, and Xenovia introduced into the story, only one more girl is yet to be introduced who will be part of Haruka's 4 girls harem. She will appear in the next chapter as introduction and will play a major role in the Kokabiel arc and she is not part of the AX Agency. I would've wanted to introduce her in this chapter but well, things happen.**


	8. File 8

**File 8: Training And Meeting A Rival**

Esther had heard of the Holy Maiden, a nun with the power to heal anyone with a simple touch of her hand. The story made her out to be a very good saint who held God's light in her hand and used it to enact the miracle of healing. Even during her life as a rogue exorcist, she had heard of the maiden's story from time to time.

But none of those stories actually told her that the Holy Maiden can fight so fiercely with a spear.

It has been a week since she was inducted into the AX Agency and she is currently undergoing intensive training to bring her up to speed and make her combat prowess acceptable as an AX Agent, especially since she's a field agent unlike Asia. It shows how elite the AX are when their non-combat member like Asia is skilled in the use of spear and she can say that Asia is more skilled than many exorcists on duty.

Esther is currently training her swordsmanship by sparring with Asia Argento. It is surprising that the Holy Maiden could use her spear better than she could use her sword. Then again, she did not dedicate as much time to sword form as she did to increasing her magic capacity and mastery over her sacred gear. She could make do and she has good battle sense but Asia's movement is more fluid and her form is solid. If solely speaking about their skill in using their weapons Asia is superior while Esther is superior in overall combat ability.

It's because while Asia dedicated herself to one single skill, Esther has multiple skills she has to train and thus she would neglect one when training another, which leads to her current difficulty in facing the Holy Maiden with sword skill alone. If Asia is already this skilled, she doubt she could face Haruka in sword combat. He is after all the second best swordsman in the Agency only behind the agent known as Sword Dancer.

As she heard it about the field agents, Sword Dancer was the strongest physically and the best in close range combat, Tempest is the most powerful magically, Executor is the most versatile with his diverse skills, and Phalanx is the fastest and has the strongest defense. As for the non-combat members, the Professor is their scientist and librarian while the Holy Maiden is their healer and support operator. But that doesn't mean that they are weak in combat, no. The Professor could wipe the floor with her using his cane sword while the Holy Maiden, well, she's fighting her now and she possess the weakest combat strength out of the members before her.

It shows just how powerful each and every member are and made her realize how much more easily Executor could've defeated her if he was using his full arsenal and was willing to hurt her back in Romania. He could be more than a match for Walburga and he is the 3rd strongest member. She really have a lot of catching up to do if she wanted to reach AX's high standard. Despite the small number, AX is an elite group due to their member's quality, all handpicked by the Cardinal in charge of the group at that time.

Just relying on her sacred gear's power will get her nowhere. Each AX members are trained to fight in numerous combat situations and is trained in various skills, especially the field agents as they need to have a diverse set of skills to accommodate their environments and combat situations.

According to the history lesson by Woodsworth, the AX had existed for three hundred years, give or take. There's no record left from their earlier time and AX had only begun recording their missions in the last century. Before that, AX is even more shrouded in secrecy than they are now but had been involved in several important missions around the world.

The most famous known mission of the AX was definitely the mission where the agents back in World War 2 had to stop Kokabiel's advance when the cadre appeared during the chaos of the war. The then AX agent, Vasco Strada, fought Kokabiel to a standstill. It is because of his fame which comes with influence and the fact that he's a retired member that he became the Cardinal in charge of the AX.

Now that she's part of such an elite force, Esther has to step up her game. AX field agents are expected to eventually fight multiple ultimate-class enemies at once singlehandedly. She doesn't know when she will reach that level but she will do it. After all, she's a part of this now. She will not turn back just because it's hard.

"Hmm, miss Esther has a good sense in combat but she lack a proper style that she's comfortable with."

Woodsworth observed as the spar between Esther and Asia continues. He along with Haruka are watching the spar with deep interest to see how capable their newest member is. They are both disappointed and hopeful at the same time.

"She uses the basic stance but improvise using her reflex and instinct. I have to say that her stance is… sloppy. She has no personal style and it limits her movement because the basic stance limits her. The basic stance does not allow her to move the way she is comfortable with."

Woodsworth chuckled. That is about right. Esther had been using the basic stance taught to exorcists in their basic training and she had used it wonderfully. But the basic stance is easy and universal, taught only as an introduction to sword combat. Exorcists would eventually switch to styles they're more comfortable with after mastering the basic. Esther never have the chance to find her own personal fighting style due to her situation.

Woodsworth can tell that she practiced controlling her magic power first and foremost with how large her reserve is and how much control she has over it. The second thing she trains is her mind and mobility. She's nimble and she thinks quick and has excellent reaction time. The third is her marksmanship. In the past week, she had shown that she's a good shot but usually her shooting is limited in close combat in narrow spaces due to the length of her main weapon. The last is sword skill. She had taken the basic stance to the limit of what she can learn by herself and that is already amazing. She could beat most exorcists with basic alone.

The only reason Asia is winning is actually because her style is personalized and it is one of the deadlier spear style in existence that Haruka learned on his trip to Ireland. Asia is more comfortable with her weapon and the style fits her making her move more fluidly and able to counter and push back Esther's attacks. If Esther could find a style suitable for her and master it, Woodsworth has no doubt that she can beat Asia.

"A good observation I should say. So, can you teach her something or should we call back the Sword Dancer temporarily?"

Woodsworth asked. The only one superior in close combat to Shidou Haruka in the AX is only the Sword Dancer as his codename implies. Though, even if he said that, Woodsworth doesn't want to leave Esther to the Sword Dancer. It's not that the man is dangerous but it's just, despite his mastery of the sword art, the Sword Dancer's personality is not suited to be a teacher. Well, maybe not as bad as Woodsworth's own teacher whose idea of teaching swordsmanship goes down to 'hit them until they learn to hit with the pointy end.'

There's no need for Haruka to consider the options since he, like Woodsworth, knew that despite being the stronger swordsman, the Sword Dancer will be a terrible teacher. Hell, the guy is a man of very few words but he could hold a better sermon than he could train someone in swordsmanship. Naturally, the job would fall to Haruka. It's not like the Sword Dancer could be an option anyway. He rarely returns to Vatican and sometimes would ignore a summon for anything other than the most important matter.

"You know as well as I do that it's a bad idea. Speaking of which, where in the world is father Hugue anyway?"

Haruka asked the Professor. Father Hugue de Watteau, the Sword Dancer, is rather elusive and even they have trouble keeping in contact with him.

"Last time I heard, he's somewhere in Manchester but that was about two weeks ago."

"He's probably long gone by now."

"Indeed. The only reason we even know is because he saved a nun from a stray devil there."

"So he's still saving damsels in distress?"

Woodsworth chuckled and nodded. For some reason, Sword Dancer seems to frequently find women in trouble and helped them. Of course, it's not like he only rescue women since he also rescue men and even several supernatural creatures but his luck tends to lead him more to women in trouble.

"What about you? Are you feeling better now?"

Haruka asked to the person sitting on the ground to his left. The person is a girl who simply looked up to him and nodded. She has pale skin, long blonde hair, and dressed in a white gown. But what people around this part will notice is her red eyes, the eyes of a vampire.

She is the dhampir Haruka took with him from Romania and the wielder of Sephiroth Graal. Valerie Tepes has just woken up the other day and whatever the vampires did to her left her rather weak. Or this can also be the result of missing one of her grail.

"Better, but still a little tired."

"That's good."

"…umm, mister exorcist, are you really sure it's fine for me to be here?"

The dhampir asked. She knew full well where she is since that's the first thing Haruka told her after she woke up. She was frightened at first but after being reassured by Haruka and Woodsworth and the fact that the other exorcists are not pointing their weapons at her made Valerie calm down a bit.

"As long as you stay here in our base then it will be fine."

Haruka assured her. Valerie nodded and continue watching the spar. To be honest, she doesn't mind being in here with these exorcists even if she had only known them for only one day. Valerie could tell that they are nice people and the feeling she got from their soul is much more welcoming than from the vampires back home.

It's really strange that she would feel better when being surrounded by exorcists who hunt down her kind. But after the looks she received in Romania and how she's treated in her own home, it's not really surprising since compared to that place, she is ironically more welcomed here.

She does suspect that it's because they want her Longinus and keep her around either to use her or prevent their enemy from using her. She's not stupid. But even if she is used, Valerie would allow it if she's being treated better than she was back home. Her life can't get any worse than Romania.

After ten more minutes and Haruka noticing that Asia is getting sloppy, he called the match.

"Alright, that's enough you two. Good work. Asia, keep practicing your stance and train up your stamina. Other than that, good job. You too sister Blanchett. We'll work on your sword skill later."

Asia and Esther both nodded at Haruka. They both shook hands and went to shower as they have worked up quite a sweat. Valerie also stood up and with Haruka as her escort, she head back to the infirmary that now serves as her temporary room. On the way though, Haruka received a call to his personal cell phone. Valerie waited for him to finish speaking and when he put his phone back to his coat pocket, he turn to her and ask.

"Want to have lunch with my sister?"

'…what?'

* * *

The earlier call Haruka got was from Irina who wishes to see him again. They have not seen each other for years so Haruka said yes to his sister's demand. It's the same family restaurant they went to last time and when Haruka entered the restaurant and nodded to the waiter who saw him, he also saw Irina sitting alone this time. She's not with Xenovia and Haruka doesn't know if he prefers it that way or not.

Unlike his sister though, Haruka is not alone as he is accompanied by Esther and Valerie. Esther has nothing to do for the rest of the day as she has no work yet for now. She's still trying to fit in with the AX for now. As for Valerie, Haruka simply got the idea and keeping her locked in their HQ is not really good for her health.

"Onii-sama, you're not alone."

Irina pointed out, a little bit miffed that he brought people but doesn't mind it too much.

"Yes. You've met the red haired one before but you're not introduced yet. She's Esther Blanchett, the newest addition to my division."

Haruka introduced Esther to Irina who shook her hand.

"Hello, my name is sister Esther Blanchett. It's a pleasure to meet Haruka's sister."

Esther politely introduce herself to Irina. Then Haruka introduced Valerie.

"And this one is Valerie Te-… Nightroad. Yes, Valerie Nightroad. She's an acquaintance I met overseas who came to visit Vatican."

Valerie bowed. Haruka breathe out in relief when he saw that Irina didn't notice anything. He had almost introduced Valerie as a Tepes. That wouldn't go well. Good thing he could immediately thought up a fake name for her. And also thank god for colored contact lenses.

Just like before, Haruka sat beside Irina with Valerie and Esther sitting across them. Haruka had already ordered his just by nodding to the waiter. They already know what he wants. While he waits for the girls to pick their order a shadow was cast over him. He heard the sound of a fan being opened and he already knew who had just came. He smirked and turn to face the newcomer.

The newcomer is a girl in black nun outfit who has long black hair with one side tied in a bun. She is around Asia's height, only two inches taller than the blonde nun.

"I have wondered when I'll run into you, Kaya."

"Hello, Haruka."

The two of them greeted each other with a predatory grin. Irina meanwhile dropped her jaw when she saw who had approached them. Kaya's arrival also drew the attention of several people, including Esther and Valerie. It's natural being who she is after all.

"So what does the head of the Papal Inquisitor want with me?"

* * *

 **So this is the beginning of a new arc which I dub the Misty London arc. Esther is getting used to being part of AX and Asia's skill level is revealed a bit. Nothing much here other than the basic introduction of more characters. This is just the opening of the Misty London arc which will feature Haruka, Irina, Esther, and Valerie. This arc will focus on Esther's power development and some bits of the Shidou family and will be set in London. This is one of the two story arcs that focuses on London. Now, from the story arc's title, try to guess who the main opponent of this arc is.**

 **Now, if you guys ask when this story will join the main DxD timeline, it is in the next arc. Based on the timeline, the previous arc happens during the Asia arc which didn't happen since Asia is part of AX. Now, this arc takes place during the time of the Riser arc. So you can guess what arc will be next. It's perhaps the most infamous of the DxD story arcs.**

 **This chapter also introduce the last member and crossover character in the harem. Yes, it is the Gypsy Queen Kaya Syokka from Trinity Blood. In here she is currently the head of the Papal Inquisitor and has a working rivalry with Haruka since her group and Haruka's group are something like rivals and Haruka is the only combat member who is in Vatican quite often.**

 **Mrsiri: Haruka's ability is mostly Nasuverse-based.**

 **Saisri: Technically, Shidou Haruka is the only OC I made. The rest of the characters not native to DxD are either Trinity Blood or Fate series characters so if you're saying I use so many OCs, well, it's not quite a correct statement since I only personally made one character from scratch here. And it might not feel like DxD much here because I focus on the church which was not fully explored in DxD and I use Fate and Trinity Blood elements to make this world's church more diverse.**


	9. File 9

**File 9: Rivals**

"So what does the head of the Papal Inquisitor want with me?

Haruka asked the new girl. Kaya Syokka, the youngest member who is of the same age as Haruka and the head of the Papal Inquisitor did not answer and simply wave at him with her fan to scoot over. Haruka shrugs and move over, letting her seat beside him. Irina is still looking at her with her jaws wide open.

"I came when I heard that you got a new member. There are not many people who can join your section so I just have to see for myself."

"I have expected that. It's you we're talking about after all."

Haruka grinned at Kaya who also ordered the same food as him with a simple wave. Like Haruka, the waiters knew her as she also frequent the place, mostly to speak with AX members, mainly Haruka who is more frequently present in Vatican. She had heard that Haruka is present when she came back from her latest mission and the AX have a new member. She can't stop herself from checking up with him.

"So, who's the new member? Don't tell me it's all three of these girls?"

Kaya look around, taking in the sight of the three girls who she had never seen before… except for Irina but she didn't take note of the exorcist's appearance before even if they did cross path somewhere. Haruka shook his head and point at Esther.

"She's the new member. Her name is Esther Blanchett."

Haruka answered. Kaya leaned closer and examined Esther. The redhead blinked and look at the Inquisitor in confusion. Kaya spent ten seconds staring at Esther before sitting back, giving a look of acknowledgement at Esther then turning to Haruka once again.

"She doesn't seem all that impressive but I can tell that she has potential"

"Yup. She might not be on our level for now but she has the potential."

Kaya nodded.

"And the other two?"

Kaya asked, referring to the other two girls.

"The blonde one is Valerie Nightroad. She's simply an acquaintance I met and came visiting. This little whelp here though is my little sister. She's a year younger than us."

Haruka introduced Valerie and Irina and put his hand on Irina's head and ruffle her hair when he introduced his little sister. Kaya again lean closer, this time at Irina. Unlike the acknowledgement she gave Esther though, she frowns after getting a good look of the younger Shidou.

"Umm, is something the matter, Syokka-sama?"

Irina nervously asked Kaya. She doesn't know how her brother can be so friendly with the Head Inquisitor but from their interaction they seem to at least be friends. She didn't know that her brother knew someone as powerful as the Head Inquisitor who now seems displeased after looking at her.

Kaya recalled vaguely that she had seen Irina before around Vatican and on one report. She's one of those few who was given the chance to use the holy sword element to be able to wield the Excalibur fragments. Kaya was also given that offer but like Haruka, she refused as she doesn't want to use any power that doesn't naturally belong to her in the first place.

As Head Inquisitor, Kaya knew the names of the church members who are considered an asset. Holy sword wielders, even artificial ones, are one such asset and she now recalled Irina's dossier and that's the cause of her frown.

"Are you sure she's your sister? I remember her face from our list of artificial holy sword wielders and I have to say she's… not impressive."

Haruka frowns at Kaya's statement but can't deny the Head Inquisitor's statement. After all, if compared to him or Kaya herself, Irina is not impressive in the slightest. But that doesn't mean he approves of how Kaya put it. Irina is still his sister and he doesn't like anyone being rude to her… apart from himself. It's natural for an older sibling to annoy the younger one or vice-versa.

"You know, she's still my sister and saying that to her face is quite rude."

Kaya blinked and look at Haruka who is frowning.

"Ahh sorry, my bad. I guess that did come out as rude. I'm sorry."

Haruka nodded and accept the apology. Irina didn't say anything since she's in the presence of the Head Inquisitor and had to be respectful but she does feel glad that Haruka defended her. Esther also didn't say anything as she doesn't know what to say to Kaya. She had heard of the Papal Inquisitors and mistaken Haruka as one but she didn't expect him to know the Head Inquisitor herself… and she's also surprised that the Head Inquisitor is so young. Valerie though kept quiet because she doesn't want to catch Kaya's attention and should she notice anything wrong, it could spell trouble for both herself and her new acquaintances.

The food arrived, even Kaya's although she ordered them later, and the group started eating in silence. Valerie and Esther threw the Inquisitor several glances for differing reasons while Irina kept quiet since she got the feeling that Kaya doesn't like her much and she doesn't want to mess with a Papal Inquisitor, especially the leader who is always the strongest of the elite forces of the Pope himself.

Halfway through the meal, Kaya started another conversation with Haruka.

"Speaking of which, how long has it been since we last had a spar? Last I remember it's 3 win and 3 lose between us."

Irina's fork halted halfway to her mouth as she look at the Inquisitor who is addressing the AX agent.

"Onii-sama, you sparred with Syokka-sama?"

Irina looked at him wide-eyed. She can't believe what she heard. Her brother who used to lose to Xenovia had sparred with THE Head Inquisitor? And they are evenly matched? Irina simply couldn't believe it. Haruka meanwhile shrugs as if it is not a big deal.

"I spar with her whenever we both have the time. Many of my… colleagues are rarely around and Kaya is unmatched among the Inquisitors so we took to sparring with each other since we're the only ones constantly around and in the same level."

Haruka told her. Kaya nodded. She actually came to him for that. Being the strongest Inquisitor has its downsides. Not many people in the church could match her combat ability and those that do and are even above her are rarely around. Haruka is the only one whose presence is somewhat constant who is of similar level to her.

Come to think of it, they both become Inquisitor and AX agent respectively on the same day and it was the day they first met. Inquisitors are the longtime rival of the Special Operation Section and since they are of the same age and joined their respective group on the same day, they developed a close rivalry with each other.

"I guess it's a good timing. I can show Esther the level of skill she'll be expected to have."

* * *

After they finished eating, Kaya head to the training field where they will have their little sparring session. Haruka had been looking forward to it for some time. As good as Woodsworth is, sparring with him won't give Haruka much challenge. Asia and Esther won't even be a challenge at all.

"Onii-sama, are you sure you will spar with Syokka-sama?"

Irina asked her brother with a hint of worry. She is the leader and strongest of the Inquisitors. Haruka and Kaya might imply that they have done it before and they are on a rather equal level but Irina still finds that hard to believe.

"I'm sure. In fact, I've been expecting her for some time now."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Trust me, I'll be fine."

"If you say so."

Irina calmed down as Haruka assures her that he'll be fine. But still, she can't help but feel worried. After all, Haruka had never won a spar against Xenovia in the past and Kaya is even stronger than the current Xenovia. Can her brother really put up a fight against Kaya?

The little sister is still unsure. Haruka might've grown stronger, she's sure of it, but how strong had he grown?

Following behind the Shidou siblings are Esther Blanchet and Valerie 'Nightroad'.

"So Executor will be sparring against the Head Inquisitor. I don't know about you but I do want to see Executor truly fighting."

Esther struck up a conversation with Valerie. Esther may have fought Haruka once and saw him spar with Asia and Woodsworth but none of those fights shows him fighting for real with his full arsenal. Haruka's battle with Walburga had him at a disadvantage since he doesn't have access to most of his weapons while his spars with Asia and Woodsworth had him holding back his skill.

Valerie didn't reply to Esther who is trying to talk to her and quickly found that Valerie is not very sociable, at least not to her yet. While she's not interested in seeing two people sparring, she wanted to get to know her new acquaintances so she came.

Haruka led them to one of the indoor training hall he usually used when sparring with Kaya though this would be the first time they spar with an audience other than AX agents or Inquisitors. Irina, Esther and Valerie sat back near the door while Haruka went to meet Kaya.

"I've been waiting for you."

"You're the one who wanted to come here first."

The two of them came face-to-face, both grinning in excitement as they prepare themselves for the coming fight. Both also noticed some missing things from their opponent's arsenal.

"Where's your fan?"

Haruka questioned.

"And where's your sword?"

Kaya returned the question. Both of them don't have their main weapon with them.

"So… keys only?"

"Yes, keys only."

Haruka and Kaya both nodded to each other. At one moment, they just stood while smiling at each other. Then in the next second, both of them dashed forward at incredible speed, both flicking their wrist and took out six sword hilts that they fit in between their knuckles. At one moment, they didn't hold anything. Now they wield six blades at once and have began their clash.

Irina was taken aback as she didn't even see the two of them move. And the weapons they're using, those are not the standard issue light sword but not holy swords either. Esther and Valerie are impressed by the power shown by the two rivals.

Haruka and Kaya both clashed evenly at high speed, moving blindingly fast that even devil knights would have great trouble keeping up with them. The audience could also feel the strength behind each of their blow as sounds of clashing blades echoes loudly inside the hall.

Both of them grinned as they try to strike each other while blocking each other's attack. Haruka's movement is lightning fast and accurate. Kaya's movement is free-flowing and calculated. The two match each other blow for blow in a direct clash of their blades.

"You've gotten better with your use of black keys."

"And you've gotten faster."

Haruka and Kaya complement each other as they continue their deadly dance while leaving their audience more than just impressed. Little did they know that Shidou Haruka and Kaya Syokka was just warming up and now their match had truly begun when Kaya's blades was set on fire while Haruka's blades gains a new shining edge.

The two rivals will enjoy this match greatly.

* * *

 **So I ended this chapter with Kaya and Haruka sparring. They're not using their full power since they're not using their main weapon. Next chapter will mostly be from Irina's side and finally we will go to London.**

 **reader713: No, Asia is just a friend to Haruka.**

 **akasuna123: Let's just see.**


	10. File 10

**File 10: The Difference Between Us**

Inhuman, that is what Irina thought as she saw the battle between Kaya Syokka and her brother even when they haven't gone serious until at this moment.

The two of them are simply incredible as they perform amazing acrobatic feats at speed faster than many devil knights. They fought not just on the floor but on the walls and ceilings as they ran on any surface their feet can touch. Sparks flew each time their blades meet; Kaya with her burning blades and Haruka with his enhanced blades.

The two of them are a match for each other blade for blade. Both seemingly equal in overall strength with neither seemingly holding a distinct advantage. Kaya is faster and more flexible while Haruka is stronger and accurate.

"Onii-sama…"

Irina watched in awe as the two fighters exchange more blows. They both sparred in a level she had never seen before among her fellow exorcists. The closest she had seen someone in their level is when Griselda Quarta, one of their strongest, being serious in a match. She might have expected it from Kaya who is the head Inquisitor but for her own brother to match such high-ranking exorcist in combat means that he is also around her level.

They exchanged blades a few more times until Haruka saw a chance when Kaya landed on some debris that almost made her slip. That short opening was taken mercilessly by Haruka as he increase pressure on Kaya. He managed to break through Kaya's defense with his greater strength and kicked her towards a pillar. The Inquisitor crashed into the pillar, cracking it. But not one second after she crashed, Kaya emerged from the rubles and threw her keys that explode all around Haruka and drew six more.

Haruka jump to avoid the explosion but was met with six more thrown keys that he intercepted with his own. The keys they throw exploded in mid-air and they drew six more. They began a sort of ranged combat using their keys as throwing weapon, constantly moving and throwing while also retrieving previously thrown keys. More damage began to accumulate in the training room as missed keys would explode or heavily impact the walls, floor and ceiling.

"Nee, sister Blanchet, what are those weapons that they use?"

Irina asked Esther who is beside her who is also watching the fight intently to learn how fighters of their caliber fight. Their speed, power, and technique are all incredible to move in three-dimension, not limiting themselves to simply fighting on the ground like most fighters tend to do.

"You do not know? Ahh, that's right! Normal exorcists don't have access to the black keys."

Irina tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.

"Black keys?"

Esther nodded and began explaining about the black keys based on what she remembered from the Professor's own explanation to her.

"The black keys are different from the standard light sword. Exorcist light swords, although effective and easy to use, are not powerful enough to battle the more powerful devils and their effectiveness decrease when fighting enemies not weak to the light element. And since legendary weapons and sacred gear users are limited in number, we need a more effective weapon to replace the light swords in order to handle stronger enemies. The answer is the black keys."

Esther explained. Irina watch as the two fighters seemingly glided on the floor and deliver slashes that seemingly left after-images due to swinging their weapons at high speed. She looked closely at the clashing blades and began to compare it to the light swords she also used most of the time.

Their weapons clashed, producing a sound of steel meeting steel. Kaya threw three keys that Haruka dodged. Her keys explode, demolishing another pillar at its base, almost crushing Haruka if he did not cut them apart. Haruka then threw his keys that Kaya deflected to a wall, cracking it deeply. One of the keys landed in front of Irina. She tried to pick it up and was surprised to find out how heavy it is. She could still pull it out with one hand but it takes quite a bit of an effort.

"The black keys are developed based on the sacred gear Blade Blacksmith and the standard light sword, creating a new weapon for us to use. The blade produced is real steel and its durability is proportionate to the energy supplied by the user. Since it is based on Blade Blacksmith, the black keys carry holy property. Not as powerful as a real holy sword but stronger than the standard light sword and it can be amplified by the user's own power."

Irina looked at the black key in her hand. She had seen how it could easily cut iron and destroy pillars easily like they were butter. The keys are heavy and solid like true steel. The two fighters used theirs to great effects. Haruka had used one of his keys as foothold to jump from while Kaya use the extreme heat produced by her burning keys to cause after image.

There are also more than substantial amount of holy power behind each of Kaya's keys, rivaling the Excalibur fragments. Though Haruka's keys may not carry the same amount of holy power, Irina noticed that its cutting edge is extremely sharp and could leave deep cuts on walls and pillars that his blades even so much as get close too like there is an invisible blade extending from the main blade.

"The keys can also utilize various elements through the use of sacraments to amplify their power, allowing them to use additional elemental attacks. An example would be Inquisitor Syokka's fire sacrament that allows her to cover her blade in holy flame. In Haruka's case, he appears to cover his blade in pure aura that increased its sharpness and length."

There is no pause in their movement. Should any key left their hand, other keys would replace them in the blink of an eye. And not just with keys. The two of them also incorporates martial arts with the occasional kicks and punches when they are not holding their weapons. And judging from the cracks on the floor and walls caused by their kicks, their raw strength is immense.

Kaya and Haruka continue to clash without any sign of being tired even after making so many intense acrobatic movement as well as powerful attacks. Irina is amazed that neither of them appeared even winded, especially with the weight of their weapon which they each use six at a time and placing it in between their knuckles. Irina is sure that she won't be able to fight while wielding the keys like them.

"The black keys have proven to be an effective weapon that can match at least the excalibur fragments and have aided promising exorcists who did not possess holy sword element. But unfortunately, there is a flaw. The keys are heavy and it requires a large magical reserve and high level of control to use, which is why it is only available to the higher rank exorcists who have build up their strength and reserve. It is due to this reason why it is not available to the usual exorcists."

"Hee… but doesn't that mean that it failed to replace the light swords due to this flaw?"

Valerie questioned to which Esther nodded.

"Yes. Due to this flaw, using the keys to replace the light swords is not possible but research is still ongoing to make them more practical to use since the keys have been proven to be a superior weapon. Still, for those who could use the keys and are not in possession of special weapons usually favors them."

Esther finished her explanation. At the same time, Kaya and Haruka also decided to finish their spar with one last attack. Both of them dashed towards each other and spun with a speed that causes wind to blow. They struck with their respective black keys. Before they could inflict any fatal injuries on each other though, they stopped with their blades just inches away from their face and heart.

""Draw.""

The two of them said at the same time. Their blades disappear, leaving only the hilt of their keys and with just a simple flick, their keys went back into their sleeves, surprising Irina because the keys seemingly disappear and there are no indication of them keeping the hilts anywhere in their sleeves. Esther herself is still figuring out how to do that particular trick.

Irina can't believe how far her brother had gone since that day when he disappeared without telling her. She thought he quit and left their family. But now years later she found out that he is part of a special force of exorcist and not only did he know someone like Kaya Syokka but can also match her blade for blade in an intense sparring session that blew her mind away.

What had her brother been doing all these years that he grew into someone so powerful? How did he become so powerful?

* * *

-3 days later-

It has been three days since the spar between her brother and the head inquisitor. Irina is currently packing what belongings she had decided to bring home with her to England.

While Vatican is the recognized central seat of power of the Abrahamic religion in the supernatural world, the Abrahamic religion itself is not really unified and is divided into several sects. The division is quite clear among the normal believers, those who are not involved in the supernatural world, while those who are involved in the supernatural side are more unified, though that doesn't mean that all sects are truly unified. They just have a more common enemy to worry about like the devils and other supernatural races.

The reason why Irina is going back to England is because she is part of the Protestant sect. When not specifically called for a mission or continued training, exorcists are generally posted in the territory of each of their sect. Irina had just finished her mission so now she will need to return to London where she is posted until further notice. While Vatican has a special status among the Abrahamic religions, it is still mainly a territory of the Catholic sect, the current largest and most powerful sect in the Abrahamic religion.

Irina is quite looking forward to returning home but she is also unsure. She is looking forward to tell her parents that Haruka is still alive and she had met him but she is unsure how they would feel since Haruka most likely won't come back home, possibly ever, since he is part of an elite group which rank rather highly if it is acknowledged as an elite by the head inquisitor herself. Being part of such group usually means he won't have the time or chance to visit his home.

Irina sighs.

"Why are you sighing? I thought that you would be happy since you're going home."

Xenovia asked. The exorcist of the Catholic sect who had recently become her mission partner for joint missions had decided to see her off. She had hoped to see her brother before her flight home but according to Esther (who she got along easily with despite having only met a few times) he had been sent on a mission by Cardinal Strada. Esther is still in training so she is still sticking around despite being an AX field agent.

"It's just… I don't know what to tell my parents about onii-sama."

"Onii-sama means… your brother, right? That guy from a few days ago?"

Irina nodded. She's a bit surprised that Xenovia didn't remember her brother. She used to beat him in spars rather easily using raw power. Then again, perhaps because she beat him easily back then that Xenovia didn't bother to remember him, though Irina is sure that the current Haruka could beat Xenovia without much trouble.

Her brother remembered Xenovia really well though if the glances he stole when they had lunch that time were of any indication. He didn't strike up a conversation with her but Irina suspect that he wanted to. She just took most of his attention that day.

"Yes. We haven't seen him in years so we were worried."

"You and your parents should be proud if he is good enough to be included in a special group. It's strange that I have never seen him before. I wonder where he trained."

Irina sighs but she won't say anything. It is something between Xenovia and her brother and knowing Haruka, if he is still the same as he was back then, he would want to deal with his problems by himself. Now that she think of it, he must've took his defeats to heart and decided to deal with it by himself which in his case means disappearing to train until his problem, which is his weakness, is dealt with thoroughly.

Irina finished packing. Saying goodbye to Xenovia, she headed to the airport where she will take a plane back to London. During the long flight back home, she wonder how she could catch up to her brother now. Back then they were roughly equal in strength. But she had known sooner or later that her brother will grow stronger than her. He is the kind of person who, despite being quite relaxed, would dedicate his entirety to something he decided to do. And when he does so, he could be frighteningly brilliant. He is a smart one after all, unlike her.

"So this is the difference between us now. Onii-sama, how can I catch up to you if with every step I took, you walk ten steps ahead of me?"

Irina smiled sadly as she watched the sea of clouds outside the window.

Meanwhile, in London, in a cavern buried underneath the city, a certain grail began to shine brightly… and the Thames began to stir.

* * *

 **Damn, this took a while to complete. So here we have the conclusion of Haruka and Kaya's spar with Irina watching. The focus will switch to Irina quite a lot in this story arc which will finally move on to London. I've been waiting for this. Anyway, I guess I have nothing more to say. Just that finally this story arc can finally take off and then we can get on to the Kokabiel arc after this.**

 **Sunfang 193: He is closer to Amakusa Shirou than Kotomine Kirei in style. Of course, added with a bit of Kiritsugu.**


	11. File 11

**File 11: Start of A Misty London Night**

-Vatican, AX base-

Seven hours had passed since Irina's departure and Haruka had just returned from his latest mission of exterminating an S-class stray devil. After giving his report to the Cardinal, he went back to base because according to the Cardinal, they just received another new member two days ago just after Haruka left. It was an unexpected addition and while the Cardinal had to pull a few strings, everything was smoothly taken care of.

That certain new member is Valerie Tepes, or now officially known as Valerie Nightroad in her ID. It took a while but with Cardinal Strada pulling a few strings and Professor Woodsworth using his contact and knowledge to forge a false identity and history, Valerie had now officially become a member of AX, much to Haruka's surprise.

"You know, I really didn't see this coming at all. How did this happen anyway?"

Haruka asked Valerie who is currently sitting on the bar seat while drinking a glass of blood as celebration. All AX members present in Vatican are now gathered in the recreational room modeled after a bar to welcome their newest addition. Haruka is behind the counter, serving both Valerie and Esther their drinks.

"The Professor suggested it and after I considered it, I decided to join you guys. I have nowhere else to go after all."

Now that they think of it, Valerie really has nowhere else to go. They are definitely not going to hand her back to the vampires, not like she would want to go back to Romania. She has no money or a place to stay in and if they let her go to do as she wish, well, despite being sure that Valerie is not someone with malevolent intentions, she will have a hard time living a normal life, especially being a Longinus wielder.

Her only option is to join a faction if she want to have some kind of stability in her life and while many would want her for her Longinus, it is still something that needs to be carefully thought of. She could find herself joining some shady group with less than good intentions or even if she joins the devils, it is a risk where she could find herself in the service of a cruel master.

When the professor made his suggestion, Valerie had considered it. Joining the church is usually unthinkable to vampires, even a half-blood, but the AX is a special case among special case whose motto is close to 'destroy heretics using heretical power' and while staying with them, Valerie had come to see that the AX are comprised of people accepted her and those she could get along with, mostly because of the strict requirement in mindset that every member should have.

Thanks to Sephiroth Graal and some colored contact lens, Valerie managed to disguise her vampiric power and features and now she could walk around Vatican without much problem. She had also been given a custom uniform just like other members of AX. Hers consists of a black gothic dress with a skirt that reached just slightly below her knees and white frills at the hem of her skirt and sleeves. She also has a black cape that covers her left side adorned with a white cross emblem. She also wears white stockings complete with black combat boots and carries no visible weapons.

"I'm rooming with Esther now."

"Yes and it has been enjoyable. We are able to get along quite well."

Esther added. The two girls smiled at each other. Those two have been seen much around each other. They became quick friends and easily bond due to their respective… problem with Marius Tepes who Valerie is quite happy to find out was killed by Esther herself. Haruka is glad that the two new members get along well.

Then Woodsworth and Asia joined the trio on the bar along with another member that had just returned from her mission around the same time as Haruka.

"I say, it has certainly become quite a crowd in here and we certainly start to have more ladies joining us than men."

Woodsworth commented to which Haruka nodded in agreement and chuckled. Indeed, it has become crowded with girls. Up until Asia came, of the five AX members then, only one of them is a female and that member is the person who is currently sitting to Asia's left.

The girl has white hair tied into twin pigtails like Irina and is dressed in a white shirt under a black vest and black shorts. She also wore white stockings and a pair of black sneakers. Her wardrobe is completed by a black jacket with white crosses on each sleeve which she is currently not wearing and is resting on the coat hanger together with Haruka's coat.

Her name is Tosca, a survivor of the Holy Sword Project who was taken in by Vasco Strada and inducted into AX when she shows great potential in combat and the use of her sacred gear. She has the weakest attack power among the original combat members before Asia, Esther and Valerie joined but she has the strongest defensive power and the fastest speed. Her codename is Phalanx based on how she forms her sacred gear's power.

"I have no problem with it. It is great to have more girls to talk to!"

Tosca happily exclaimed with tears in her eyes while making a fist pump. Being the only female member in AX for a time until Asia came is not really fun mostly because she cannot talk about girl things and honestly, she only ever have Haruka and the Professor to talk to as the other two were always away for one reason or another. At least Tempest would stay for a while when he came back.

"Umm, Haruka, can I ask a question?"

Esther suddenly spoke up, catching Haruka's attention.

"Ask away Esther."

"When will we be assigned codenames?"

"Yes, come to think of It, I thought we were assigned those when we were inducted."

Valerie put her index finger on her chin as she remembered her own induction which simply consists of being assigned to a senior AX member for training. Though it was put that way, the job will most certainly fall to Haruka as Tosca who is the only other field agent present is not suited to train someone. Basic swordsmanship training and other theoretical knowledge will be taught by Woodsworth but her primary combat training will fall to Haruka. And unless she has skill with healing magic, she won't spend too much time with Asia.

Hearing their question, Haruka remembered how he first got his codename and chuckled.

"Codenames are assigned after you finish your first mission. It is actually based on your performance and is assigned by the senior member who was supervising you at that time."

Haruka explained.

"Indeed. I was the one who gave Tosca her codename during an exploration mission. I gave her the codename Phalanx as the technique she used with her sacred gear reminds me of the famous formation."

Woodsworth added while ruffling Tosca's hair. The girl pouted and glared at the Professor. She doesn't like being treated like a kid but every member who are older than her like to pet her for some reason, even Sword Dancer, as shocking as it sounds to those who knew him.

"The non-combat members are usually named based on their specialty or their prior title if they have any. As for myself, Sword Dancer was the one who named me as I work under him for a time. My first mission was eliminating a high-class devil who is causing trouble. I snuck into his base and cut his head off before her knew I was there. Hence I was named Executor as it was more like a quick execution than a hunt."

Haruka told them. Valerie and Esther nodded. They're looking forward to getting their own codename which they now realize will come from Haruka himself. He is currently mixing several drinks with the skill of a trained bartender. Once he is done, he gave it to Woodsworth. He also gave a glass of milk to Tosca who glares at him as she mutters something that sounds suspiciously like 'I'm not a kid'.

Woodsworth who had received his drink took a small sip of the cocktail Haruka made and made a satisfied sound. Haruka also made another cocktail, this time it's for himself. Valerie and Esther again watch as their supervisor mix some drinks they don't recognized skillfully like he had done it his whole life.

"Your skill in making cocktails is as impressive as usual, Shidou, especially in making Irish cocktail."

The Professor complimented him.

"It comes with the training."

Haruka replied with a shrug. It's just another one of his skill that he happen to unfortunately pick up along the way when he was training with his teacher. It was supposed to be a joke but his teacher apparently finds it a good idea and here he is, an elite agent with the skill of a pro bartender.

"I don't know how my dad would react to this but mom won't be happy."

Haruka muttered and was heard by Esther and Valerie who are sitting in front of him. Speaking of his family, Irina had gone back to England and had looked for him before she left so Esther decided to bring it up to him.

"Haruka, your sister was looking for you not long ago before you came back. She said that she wanted to see you before she went back to England."

Haruka was about to taste his creation when Esther got his attention by mentioning Irina.

"Hmm, so she went back to England."

Haruka hummed, knowing about the divisions and sects and that each member of the different sects usually stay in their own territory unless summoned. Irina was summoned because she is one of the few exorcists of the Protestant Church who received the holy sword element which meant she was deployed with an Excalibur fragment on her last mission.

Haruka didn't continue drinking but instead look down into his glass with a thoughtful look. Now that Esther had mentioned Irina and his home, he remembered that he didn't say anything to his parents too. He tried not to think too much about his family but meeting Irina had reminded him once again that he does have a family, one that was likely worried about him for not contacting them for years. Irina probably told their parents that she met him.

"I wonder how they are doing. Maybe I should visit them when I have the time."

"Hic~"

Haruka's thought was halted when he heard the sound of a hiccup next to Valerie. Everyone also paused and turn to the source of that sound. They had thought that Asia was awfully silent. Now they have their answer. Asia is holding a bottle of Irish beer and is looking very red and dazed. Suddenly, as if no longer able to sit up straight, Asia fell down to the floor with a thud while hugging the bottle she had been drinking from.

"""ASIA!"""

* * *

After reporting to the church she was assigned to, Irina immediately went straight back home. Although she's still troubled by it, she had decided to inform her parents of her brother's situation. But when to break it out to them? After a bit more thinking, Irina decided to break out the news during dinner. It's almost time for it anyway.

Irina smiled and opened the door to her home. It is a simple two storey western home not very different from the other houses in the neighborhood. Once she entered, she took off her shoes and walk to her left where the living room is. The living room is not very large with one large red sofa and two smaller ones boxing a small square table with glass surface positioned in front of a large TV.

Deeper inside the house is a rocking chair beside a gramophone situated on an oaken table. There her father sat still in his pastor outfit and wearing a pair of comfortable-looking bunny slippers reading newspaper. It is easy to see the family resemblance between them with the same hair color and similar facial structure. She does take after their father as her brother often said.

"Papa, I'm home!"

Irina greeted her father cheerfully.

"Ahh Irina-chan! How was your mission? Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, right?"

Shidou Touji put down his newspaper and stood up from the rocking chair he had been occupying to hug his daughter and fuss over her. Irina chuckled. Her father is a worrywart like usual. Then again, she understood why. He was quite devastated when Haruka disappeared and never contacted them with the only thing they knew about him is he is at least not excommunicated for something he did. Since then he became even more worried about her. He doesn't want to lose another child.

"Papa, I'm fine. And I have a great news to tell you!"

Irina exclaimed now actually wanting to talk about her brother.

"Good news? What news?"

"Dear, I heard Irina-chan's voice! Is she home?"

Another voice came from the other side of the house, presumably the kitchen. Footsteps was heard and the Shidou matriarch came. While Irina resembles their father, Haruka resembles their mother with the sharper look in their eyes and their posture as well as facial features. Like the other members of the family, the mother also has chestnut brown hair.

Shidou Aya, the mother of the sibling pair and wife of Shidou Touji, had come out of the kitchen to see her daughter and she is still in her favorite pink apron. She gave Irina a hug and kissed both of her cheeks.

"Welcome back dear. Now, go upstairs and get changed. Dinner is almost done. You can tell us about your mission as we eat."

Irina nodded and skipped out of the living room and upstairs to her room. Her room is furthest room down the hall to the right while her brother's is a bit closer to the stairs. She entered her room and hopped onto her bed, resting for a little. Her room, despite being a girl, is surprisingly simple with only a bed, a desk, and a simple wardrobe with little other decoration.

It's because she rarely use her room for anything other than sleeping so she did not bother decoration her own room with anything other than the basics unlike other girls her age, at least, since they moved to England.

Irina got up from her bed and quickly went to the bathroom and changed her clothes. She came down just in time for dinner. The Shidou family sat around their dinner table fit for six people in case any guess were to ever come. It is simple yet feels very homely.

"So Irina-chan, tell us about your mission. It must be something if you were summoned to Vatican."

"It's nothing much, papa. The mission was not very hard thanks to the Excalibur we are permitted to use…"

Irina then told her parents about her mission. It is nothing difficult, just hunting some stray devils and vampires. They are tough but none could stand to the power of Excalibur and she along with her partner, Xenovia, managed to complete the string of missions they were given without much difficulty and get in some more training before she had to return.

Then come the time for her to tell them about her brother. The family had finished their dinner and so Irina decided to outright tell them about Haruka.

"I also met onii-sama in Vatican."

Once the words left her mouth and entered the Shidou parents' ears, the world seem to stop for a moment as the couple slowly turned to face their daughter with wide eyes.

"Irina-chan, what did you just say?"

Her mother asked with a shaky voice. It is no secret to her that although their parents try to love them equally, Aya is more partial to Haruka as he is more like her while Touji leans more towards Irina. Hearing her son being mentioned and found of all thing made her happy.

"I met onii-sama. He is part of a special unit I heard was led by eminence Strada."

Irina then told them all she knew about what Haruka had been doing, which is admittedly not much due to secrecy and her main source being Esther who is only a new member. She also told them about his friends and his spar with the head inquisitor herself and how friendly they are with each other. At the end of her story, her parents could only stare at her in silence, until Touji decided to make a comment.

"So my son is close to so many interesting girls. Dear, do you think we can expect some grandchildren from him soon?"

"Touji! That's not what you should be asking about!"

Shidou Aya scold her husband. Inwardly, she felt relieved that her son is doing fine and held such an important position. But she is also unhappy since he didn't bother to call them, secrecy be damned. He is their son and Irina's brother, he should've said something.

At least she could feel glad that her son is alive. Now she can scold him when he does come home, and Irina will make sure of that. Somewhere in Vatican, Haruka suddenly shudders and wondered what that fear he felt just now was about.

As the Shidou family enjoyed their moment of peace, in the darkness of London as the clock struck twelve, the city was suddenly engulfed in a thick fog. One female exorcist who was chasing after a devil got caught in the middle of it. She lost sight of the devil she was chasing in the fog.

Seeing the dangerous situation, being deprived of her vision, the exorcist held her light sword and gun tightly in her hand, standing in place, waiting for any attack to come from the devil she was chasing. This situation is the perfect chance for the devil to strike back.

It never came. Instead, the exorcist heard the pained scream of the devil and the sound of metal cutting flesh. She rushed to where the sound came from and heard some stabbing sound. When she arrived at the source of the sound, she saw a small figure in tattered black cloak standing barefoot over the mutilated corpse of the devil and munching something that appears to be its bloodied heart with one hand while the other hand held some kind of knife. It is only due to her intense training and several years of experience that prevented the female exorcist from puking.

"Who's there?!"

The exorcist asked, gun trained on the cloaked figure. Her inquiry was heard by the cloaked figure that turn to face her. The figure's face was concealed by the hood he/she wore but the exorcist could at least tell that it is a child. The child's mouth is stained with blood from the heart he/she just ate. Seeing her, the child tilted her head. And in a voice that seemed to be the combination of several childish voice of various age and gender, the child asked;

"Are you our mother?"

"…what?"

The exorcist then heard the sickening sound of flesh being pierced by blade. What she felt next was pain… and then nothing.

* * *

 **So I decided to include Valerie in the AX without much fuss like I planned because, well seriously, Valerie really have nowhere else to go and I'm not in the mood to plan a story on how she join AX. She is qualified being the wielder of a powerful Longinus and an overall nice girl. I won't say anything else about this decision. And Irina finally came home only for another incident to occur. Now the Misty London arc is in full swing! It's easy to guess who the main opponent is in this arc and not just that, I will reveal several more things that will be important for future story arcs in here.**

 **Next chapter will focus on the beginning of the incident and centered around Irina. I won't be bringing in the AX agents until the incident became too dangerous for normal exorcists to handle.**

 **Kash890: It's not really training but I guess it is close enough. The action will be coming soon.**

 **Meddlesome Guy: Right, I was thinking about that which led me to write this story. The original Shidou Haruka in the oldest version has everything, bloodline, legendary weapon, and a powerful sacred gear. It leads to the story becoming boring. So I took it all away and this happen and I'm as happy as a lark whenever I wrote this.**


	12. File 12

**File 12: A New Case**

-London-

It was not the church that was the first to know of the incident from last night. A group of men and women were examining the corpse of the female exorcist and devil found dead shortly after sunrise. The devil was found dead with numerous slash wounds made by a short blade, presumable the size of a knife based on autopsy. That is not what caught their attention though.

What caught these people's attention is the corpse of the female exorcist, specifically on how she was killed. Like with the stray devil they presumed was a target being hunted by the exorcist, she was killed by a small bladed weapon. But what alarmed them is the familiar condition of her corpse; crudely dissected with surgical precision and missing several organs.

While the devil was cut in a more random way and its heart is missing, the woman still has her heart but some of her other organs in her lower body is missing and the cut that killed her is more surgical, made so that the perpetrator can take out the victim's organ in a relatively good condition.

A certain burly man with short gray hair and thin facial hair wearing a black suit with a tie frowns as he examines the scene of the crime, particularly the female exorcist's corpse. As a doctor, he would be the one who performed the autopsy but he knew he won't need one just with a glance.

"Just like back then."

He mumbled, remembering a certain unfinished case from more than a century ago. The White Chapel Murder case that was the start of a legendary serial murder that remains unsolved to this day. Back then he was not actively involved in cases yet but he had been there and witnessed the murder scene and even did an autopsy on one of the victims as a medical specialist called in by the Scotland Yard.

Just by the report from his men he already had the suspicion of who the perpetrator is. But now that he had seen the corpse with his own eyes, he is now sure he knew who killed the exorcist. It was one of the autopsy he would never forget and even without extensive autopsy he would recognize this method of murder by heart.

"Out of the way heretics!"

A voice called out. The man frowns and turned to the source of the voice. A group of two men and a woman dressed in robe and priestly clothing came, pushing his people out of the way. The doctor sighs. The exorcists have arrived and two of them are new faces. It was the man he did not recognize that had shouted at his subordinate. The man leading them is someone he recognized though.

"Doctor!"

The priest who walked in the center addressed him. The good doctor looked at him in the eye and greeted the church member he had the unfortunate opportunity to know.

"Exorcist Richard, what a surprise to see you here."

He spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. The two exorcists flanking Richard growled at the disrespect he showed to their leader and had already reached for their weapon, eager for a fight. Richard raised his hand to tell them to stand down. The two exorcists reluctantly stay their hand.

"We have an agreement, Henry. As long as you are not involved in our matter, we will ignore your activity."

"So we have."

"So what are your men doing here?"

William questioned. The man now known as Henry stared at the exorcist for a moment. The doctor sighed. He knew that the exorcist won't let the matter go. How unfortunate. This is why he doesn't like the church; territorial and rather irritating most of the time.

He knew they will butt in soon the moment he saw that it involves a dead female exorcist. But he can't help it. He had just found something interesting, one that he recognized, so he had hoped to be able to check the bodies before the church came. Well now he is out of time. But he at least had enough to confirm his suspicion and start his own investigation.

"Just checking Richard, just checking. It's all yours now."

Henry told him. He signaled his men to pull out. One by one, his men began to file out from the crime scene. Finally it's just him and the exorcists. Giving one last nod at Richard, he walked away, a bit irritated but satisfied enough to not make an argument with the exorcist.

"Should I tell him that Jack the Ripper is back?"

Henry contemplated before shaking his head.

"Nah, I'll let them work it out by themselves. That should teach them to keep a good head on their shoulder."

Doctor Henry Jekyll walked away, knowing that the next few days will be hectic for him. He had not worked on this case back then. Now it's time to pay a visit to the Scotland Yard.

* * *

Shidou Irina had set up a morning routine. She would get up early to do some early morning jogging which she would do for an hour. Physical fitness is important for any self-respecting exorcist. After a morning jog, she would return home and relax with a morning coffee. It was around that time that her parents would wake up.

Her mother would cook breakfast once she's up and Irina would take a bath while she cooks. After that the family will have breakfast together while talking about mundane things.

Once breakfast is done, Touji would prepare for any work he had that day which depends on what he's needed for as he is also a former exorcist on top of being a pastor. Depending on what work he has, he would stay at home for a few more hours or leave immediately. Irina though would immediately leave for the church immediately.

It would've been just like any other normal day. She would depart from her home and head to the London branch HQ to train and wait until she received a mission. Sometimes she won't even get a mission for a whole day. That is because she is part of the London HQ which is the main office of the Exorcist Agency in the United Kingdom.

On average, a small church in small villages usually has at most a handful of exorcists posted while larger church in major cities would have up to fifty exorcists at a time with regional HQ possessing up to a hundred twenty exorcists. But as the main office of the Exorcist Agency in United Kingdom, the London Branch has up to three hundred exorcists that could easily cover the whole city. With such a number, handling work all over London is not difficult, especially since they're not the only organization fighting the supernatural.

Working as an exorcist for the Protestant sect in London is not difficult. It is, in fact, much more comfortable and peaceful compared to mainland Europe or the Vatican, not to mention the Middle East. UK is relatively well-protected supernaturally speaking with a well-maintained balance of power with three major power blocks protecting the island nation in the supernatural side.

The church is obviously one of them while the other two factions are the Pendragon family and the Golden Dawn. The Pendragon family set up their base in Cornwall and while they are not many in number, they have quality fighters and weapons passed down from the time of the Round Table. The other faction is Golden Dawn, a mage's association. All of them are powerful factions and relatively known. With the presence of those three factions, the British isle saw one of the lowest rate of supernatural-related problems in Europe.

Though Irina would find that it is not an ordinary morning today.

When Irina entered the HQ, the first thing she noticed is people talking. That in itself is not strange, especially since UK exorcists are much more relaxed due to the relative peace in the British isle, but today she noticed that instead of talking like normal, her fellow exorcists are whispering with most having a grim expression. A bit unusual unless there is bad news and bad news around here usually involves stepping on the toe of other powerful organization or a rare ultimate-class enemy.

Irina decided to ask someone. She noticed a fellow exorcist with short brown hair dressed in white robe like her, a familiar face she had not seen in a while. Her name is Octavia Amber and she is one of the few UK exorcists Irina is close with since they are around the same age. With her is another familiar face, Brandon Remington, a male exorcist with short blonde hair wearing gray coat over a white vestment.

"Octavia, Brandon!"

"Irina, you're back!"

Octavia greeted the Japanese exorcist with a warm hug. It has been a while since they last met, a few months at least, mostly because Irina was abroad due to being called to Vatican for joint mission. Now that she's back, they can continue working together again as a team.

"I miss you guys."

Irina gave a hug to Brandon and Octavia. Despite her friendly personality, Irina doesn't have many friends among the exorcists. Well, acquaintances and work colleague perhaps but apart from Xenovia, Octavia and Brandon are the only people she could use the word 'friend' to describe. It's not really a line of work where you can make friends easily.

After Irina release the two exorcists from her tight hug, the trio went inside.

"So how was your mission with those stuffy Catholics?"

Brandon asked, arms behind his head as he walk on Irina's right side. The Japanese exorcists chuckled. Brandon had been making that jab ever since meeting several Catholic exorcists who are overly serious, though Irina honestly can't refute the statement since Vatican is full of overly serious exorcists.

"It's not that bad, nothing too hard, just hunting some vampires and B-class stray devils. We also had a run-in with an A-class stray devil. That was a hard fight but me and Xenovia managed to beat em."

"Xenovia huh? I remember her, that girl with blue hair who wields Durandal, right?"

"Yup!"

Irina then started telling her friends about her missions. There's not much to tell apart from travelling to other places to hunt stronger enemies and helping other, more secluded branch in need. With the combined power of Excalibur Mimic and Destruction, most enemies are easily defeated, even those stronger than what they usually find in UK.

Irina also managed to get in some more training from Griselda and a spar with Xenovia that again ended with her defeat once the natural holy sword user draws Durandal. Overall, it was enjoyable. Then came the part about reuniting with her brother and his spar with the Head Inquisitor. Irina can't help but want to brag that she had personally met the Head Inquisitor and witnessed her power.

"Anyway, after I finished my spar with Xenovia, we…"

"Shidou, Amber, Remington! Richard called for you three! Go meet him in his office!"

Irina was cut off when a middle aged exorcist called their name, telling them that the branch head is calling for them. Irina grumbled, not happy that her story was cut short. But duty calls and maybe the chief wanted to tell them about what happened. Irina forgot to ask since her friends asked about her mission and she was quite excited to tell them but now she remembered that something happened that caused her fellow exorcists to whisper.

The team headed for the branch head's office. Once they entered the office, they stood in front of the chief's desk. Richard Carlson is his name, a man in his early thirties who is acknowledged as the best exorcist in the London branch. He had soloed an A-class stray before and won. He wields the sacred gear Sterling Blue and was said to be close to obtaining balance breaker.

"I'm sorry for calling the three of you on such short notice, especially you Shidou since you just came back, but there have been an incident that we need you to deal with."

Richard said. He took out a paper and some photos from a drawer on his desk and presented it to the team. The trio moved closer and examined the photos. It is a gruesome picture of the corpse of a female exorcist. If the three of them have not been in the business for several years, they would've puked when seeing the finely cut up corpse.

The three of them did gasp though. They recognize the exorcist in the picture. A nice lady named Alicia Winchester. While it's not like they knew everyone in the London branch, they do interact with other exorcists and after a while some names will stick. Alicia's definitely stick. She is one of the better exorcist in their rank and a nice lady who once helped them when they were just starting. To see someone they knew was killed and left in such condition is… hard to describe.

Under the photo is an autopsy report. Brandon was the first to have a read as he is the first to recover from the shock. He read through the report quickly then hand it to any one of his companion who wanted to read it.

"So our mission is basically to hunt down the perpetrator. Simple enough."

Brandon concluded. Richard nodded.

"The perpetrator is slippery. From what we could get, Alicia was killed without being able to fight back. She was killed with a clean stab by a short bladed weapon, likely a dagger but also possibly a mutated bladed limb, we can never be sure with a stray devil. After that, as you can she, she was dissected and had several organs removed, possibly to be consumed. Be careful. We suspect this opponent to be extremely fast to be able to catch her off guard, possibly a high B-rank stray devil or even an A-rank."

When he finished speaking, all three of the exorcists had finished reading the autopsy report. All three of them nodded and Irina put the report back on the chief's desk.

"We will hunt this stray and put it down chief, you can count on us."

Irina said, now determined in order to avenge her fellow exorcist who was murdered in such a gruesome way. While this is not the first time an exorcist had died nor will it be the last, this is the first time it happened to someone Irina personally knew. She will get to the bottom of this and punish the devil for their crimes against the Lord.

"Good. Also, I'm giving Shidou the permission to use Excalibur Mimic. I have a feeling that you will need it."

Irina nodded and bowed, followed by Octavia and Brandon. The three of them then turn to leave, Irina heading to where the Excalibur Mimic is stored to retrieve it. Once the three of them left, the chief sighed. Losing one of their own is never easy. He looked at the photos and autopsy result once again, examining them to the last detail to see if he missed anything because he just can't shake the feeling that they had made a mistake in their conclusion somewhere.

* * *

After retrieving Excalibur Mimic the team of three head out in search of their target. They started by scouring the outer edges of London where stray devils tend to hide during the daylight. They found nothing. No signs of any stray devils, at least one that is alive.

The team did find the corpse of a mutilated stray devil at the East End. They called for some people to clean it up. Thanks to finding that corpse, they decided that they have found a lead, concluding that their target is in the East End and that it is territorial since it killed a competition. So they waited until it was dark so their target can come out.

The three exorcists waited on the side of the road. When night approaches, people began to return to their home. It is dusk and the sun was about to fully disappear. The three began to move again.

"So, where do you think our stray devil is right now?"

Octavia asked. They have just finished eating a pack of sandwich for dinner. Can't hunt on an empty stomach.

"Probably somewhere nearby preparing for dinner. I want to finish this quickly and get back to bed."

Brandon answered. Irina and Octavia could agree with that. While they usually work at night and are used to not getting much sleep, they could appreciate a good sleep and it is another reason why many exorcist like to do their job swiftly. Not pulling an all-nighter is a good incentive for any exorcist to work.

As night begin to settle, an interesting sight happen. Mist started to appear all around them. Since it is not something new, the exorcists doesn't think too much on it other than watching each other's back and that things had become a bit more troublesome.

Unknown to them, the moment the mist appear, a figure also appear in an alley nearby. A white haired child clad in tattered black cloak materialized out of nowhere. That in itself would be frightening to any normal passerby but if anyone knew of the child's identity then they will be running for their life immediately.

After all, the child is the legendary serial killer who terrorized London more than a century ago, Jack the Ripper.

* * *

 **Took more time than I had hoped. Ohh well, at least I'm finally done with this chapter. So here is File 12 which is the official beginning of the mission and where Irina will begin her fight against the Ripper. Anyway, sorry for more unimportant OC addition but since we don't know just who Irina worked with in London I need to improvise. Seriously, while DxD is interesting, it is severely lacking in the human side of the development. Sometimes I just think that Ishibumi throw in random things and make it work with his brilliance which honestly sounds more like something I do.**

 **Anyway, since I know I will have more people complaining about OC and OC scenarios, this is an AU with focus on human side of things and since the human side is sorely lacking in DxD, I'm bringing in several movies and series in to add to the fun, colorful human life. One such example is Dr. Jekyll here. He's not the Nasuverse Jekyll but take a guess on which Jekyll he is and you will find a movie I'm planning to include into a future story arc.**

 **Now for the revs.**

 **King0fP0wers: Yeah. That is why I decided to use Jack in the first place. And as we see, the Exorcists came to the wrong conclusion. That will definitely cost them.**

 **Lezaroth: I'm not the first to use pure humans but most who did simply use legendary heroes or descendants. I'm going for a more normal humans approach. As for Haruka learning Touki, why do you think Haruka and Kaya are so physically strong in their spar? And they also still have more secrets with them.**

 **scottdragoon: No... wait, are we talking about Irina or Haruka here? I'll assume it's Haruka and say no. Haruka has no holy sword or sacred gears. His sword is a sword he himself forged with help from his teacher. It has no power by itself but it is still a good sword and has functions.**


	13. File 13

**File 13: First Encounter**

-Vatican-

Xenovia had just finished her training session with Griselda ten minutes ago. As usual, it is a grueling training session that pushed her to the limit and as usual, Griselda still beat her to the ground easily even when she's using Durandal. The blue haired exorcist sat on the grass of the outdoor training ground with her beloved sword lying beside her. She stared at the blue blade in her hand and frowns.

Her progress had slowed down in recent years. She felt it herself and Griselda had also pointed it out. She is still incapable of controlling Durandal's wild power. Her control over her sword had not improved much and it is hindering her training. She cannot advance further without gaining more control over her weapon.

Of course, that doesn't mean her training had stopped. She still needed to improve her technique and speed, two fields she is sorely lacking. By physical strength alone, she is one of the strongest in the Exorcist Agency though she had heard that there are others who are already monstrously powerful while still at the same age as her affiliated with other groups.

"There must be something I'm missing. I can control Excalibur Destruction's power easily just by exerting my will but Durandal seems to work differently."

She muttered to herself while thinking about what she needed to do in order to master Durandal. The powerful holy sword does not listen to her as easily as Excalibur Destruction could. Then again, a complete holy sword and a fragment of a holy sword are two entirely different things.

Xenovia got up and pick up her sword. She will need to think about it some more. There must be something she is missing. She could ask for pointers from Vasco Strada but she had managed quite well so far so she'll try some more before asking. She stored Durandal in a separate dimension so its destructive aura won't leak.

She exited the HQ and was about to return to her dorm room when she saw someone she recognized; A male exorcist with a familiar hair color whose sister just left the other day. While Xenovia had noticed it the other day, he is wearing a custom uniform with the black coat and red holy shroud. It's unusual to see someone with an extensively customized uniform, especially if he also has a holy shroud.

Out of curiosity, Xenovia approached the elder Shidou sibling. Irina spoke highly of him and while Xenovia mostly ignore her when she was rambling (which took three hours) she did hear that her brother is quite strong. This is the first time she saw him alone so she took the chance to speak to him.

"Shidou!"

She called out. The AX member heard his name being called and turned to see who called him. He saw Xenovia wearing that skintight black bodysuit under her white robe. His eyes twitched seeing that fethisist costume Kaya and Esther complained about, especially after seeing Irina wore one. That costume really leaves little to imagination. Just look at her curv…

Haruka shook his head to get those thoughts away. Thank heaven that the AX girls and Kaya wore custom uniform that doesn't look like it was designed by a pervert. Despite his self-control, he's still a teenage boy. While it is easier to stop himself from staring at Esther and Valerie for too long thanks to them wearing more conservative clothes, Xenovia just had to wear that thrice be damned suit.

"Xenovia. It's a pleasure to see you."

Haruka greeted her as if they were good friends, which confuse her since she believed it was their second meeting. Xenovia shook it off as him being a Shidou. Irina is just as friendly even when they just met for the first time. She can see the family resemblance now.

"I saw you so I thought that I should speak with you."

She said to him. The two of them fall in line and started walking together. Haruka had just finished training Esther and has some time to spare so he decided to take a walk. He didn't expect to see Xenovia or for her to strike up a conversation with him but he doesn't mind.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

Haruka asked.

"I noticed it before but your uniform is custom and you wear a holy shroud. You must be strong to be given a holy shroud but I have never heard of you so I am curious."

Xenovia bluntly asked. That's… not an unexpected question but Xenovia was the first to actually walk up to him and ask so bluntly. Many exorcists either simply whisper or look at him from a distance since wearing a holy shroud means you are one of the elites, although that is actually optional. All AX members were offered holy shrouds but only Asia, himself and Tempest wear one while the others opted not to.

"My… department is a secret. Sorry but I can't tell you. Only a few were supposed to know that we even exist. Just mentioning that I am a part of it is already too much but I trust you can keep it a secret."

Xenovia nodded in understanding. It's not an old story. Griselda mentioned that there are secret groups in the church that handles things not entrusted to the Exorcist Agency and being Griselda's main student and successor to Vasco Strada as Durandal's wielder, Xenovia had heard a few things like a rumor that Vasco is a head of one such group.

But to see a member walking in broad daylight is surprising. Then again, she normally wouldn't pay enough attention to notice any difference between Haruka and a regular high-ranking exorcist. It's only because she was introduced to him personally and she knew Irina that she noticed. But even then, he could lie and she wouldn't know but he decided to tell her. That is quite some trust he put on her.

"I understand. I will not let you down."

Xenovia assured him. Haruka chuckled. He's not supposed to tell her even that much but he just can't help it. And then the two of them began to talk about meaningless things just so there won't be silence between the two of them.

They went around Vatican, even to the public section. Xenovia rarely went to the public section while Haruka spend most of his down time there so he knew where to go like the back of his hand. Civilians would stare at them though, especially Xenovia since she dressed in an eye-catching white robe and hood. Strangely, not many people would stare at Haruka as civilians would think that he's some kind of important priest and leave it at that. The contrast is just amusing.

Haruka treat her to some snacks that she had never tasted before, like an ice cream, to his everlasting surprise. While he knew that the church does not encourage indulgence that is just ridiculous. Then again, Xenovia was born in the church unlike him and those born into the church tend to be kept away from even basic indulgence from a young age. Asia for example had never eaten any fast food until she joined AX and her usual meal consists of vegetables and very little meat. Healthy food is prioritized over taste.

In Xenovia's case, healthy food and food that can quickly be eaten is prioritized. She had eaten fast food before because in missions there are times when they need to eat a quick and cheap meal so they can move out quickly whenever there is an unexpected enemy presence nearby.

Xenovia ended up spending the rest of the day seeing a new side of Vatican with Haruka. When it started getting dark, they had to go back to their section. It was an enjoyable day and Xenovia ended up learning a few things about Irina's brother.

Then suddenly a thought crossed Xenovia's mind.

"Shidou, you are strong, right?"

Xenovia suddenly asked. Haruka blinked and stare at her, surprised at the sudden question.

"I hope so. If not I don't know how I survived all my missions. What about it?"

This is a chance. Xenovia just thought about it but she had never sparred against any high-ranking exorcist apart from Griselda, Ewald Cristaldi, or Vasco Strada. All of them are experienced and their power is well-known. But Haruka is someone new and she is around her age. It is a chance for her to fight someone entirely new and see how she measures to someone who is part of the black-ops.

"If you have a time, would you like to spar with me? I want to see how I measure up to someone like you."

Xenovia told him directly. Haruka stood still for a moment, simply staring at her for a full minute before he started laughing, confusing Xenovia.

"Ahhahahahaha! That… that is a good one. Hmm, that's a good idea. Unfortunately I don't have time for that today, what about tomorrow?"

Xenovia agreed. They have no more time today and it is better to spar when they're still fresh out of bed. Though why he laughed still confused her.

"Then, see you tomorrow, Shidou."

"Haruka."

Haruka corrected with a smile. Xenovia nodded. Since she knew two Shidou, it would be easier to refer to them with their first name.

"Alright, see you tomorrow, Haruka."

Xenovia said her goodbye and they parted way. Haruka stare at the blue haired exorcist's back until she disappear from sight before heading back to the HQ. When he turned around, he saw Valerie following a pouting Esther.

"Haruka, you were supposed to be back two hours ago! Where were you?!"

Right, he was supposed to be back earlier to continue training Esther but he lost track of time and ended up accompanying Xenovia for the whole day. He held up a hand in apology and bowed. It's his fault after all.

"Sorry Esther, I got caught up in something and lost track of time."

"Hmph, The professor decided to take over today's training. He said you owe him one."

Haruka nodded. The AX agents then head back to their base with Haruka smiling along the way. He's looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

-London-

Looking for a stray devil in a misty London night is not fun, Irina decided. The low visibility makes finding anything much harder and increases the chance of getting ambushed and she doesn't want to be ambushed by anything.

The team stick close to each other, hands ready to reach their respective weapon. Octavia's hands are already touching her light swords while Brandon is seconds away from summoning his sacred gear and drawing his own light sword. The Excalibur Mimic disguised as a ribbon on Irina's wrist is ready to turn into a sword as needed, that and one more weapon Irina kept as a souvenir from Vatican.

"This is unexpected."

Octavia commented.

"It's London. You shouldn't be surprised."

Brandon replied as he looked around warily. The mist is making him nervous for some reason and his gut is telling him that something dangerous is lurking around. He would keep an eye out for anything suspicious. In their line of work, following your gut tend to help you live longer.

Irina squint her eyes. She can't see much further than two or three meters ahead of her. It wasn't this bad usually, especially since the passing of the clean air act before the turn of the millennium. It's almost like they're back to the 18th and 19th century London when the air was really bad.

While Irina is sure that this is not the infamous pea-soup fog that used to choke people to death, something tells her that this is also not an ordinary fog, though Irina can't decide which is worse, this being a pea-soup fog or something else they don't know about.

"Did someone build a new factory around here?"

Octavia questioned, waving her hand as if trying to shoo away the fog.

"There are no such factories around. We would know if any major construction is happening around London anyway."

Brandon replied. He's also annoyed with the fog. If he could blow it all away with a fan, he would. Not being able to see clearly is never a good thing in their line of work.

"Where are we anyway? I can't see anything through this fog."

Irina complained, looking around for any landmark she could see to determine where they are.

"No idea. We usually work around the West End. I'm not that well acquainted with the East End."

Brandon answered her. The whole group sighs. With the condition as it is, they won't be able to find their target by the end of the night unless they're lucky. Irina and Octavia prayed to the Lord for some luck so that they could finish their job right on this very same night. While he didn't visibly pray, Brandon too hoped for the same thing.

The exorcist then went around for a few more minutes when they decided to get off the street and search the alleys. If a stray devils doesn't get off to the streets once night falls, they usually hide in the alleys between buildings. The three of them watch each other's back. They are entering a narrow space and they don't want to be ambushed.

Brandon took the lead. His sacred gear, a twice critical, is now covering his left hand with a light sword held in his right. Octavia wields a pair of light swords. Neither of them have their weapons activated but both are ready to fight. Irina took the rear, Excalibur Mimic in hand in the form of a katana, her favored weapon.

When they took their fifth turn, Brandon suddenly stopped. The two girls looked at him and saw that he is sweating and staring at something. They look at the direction where he's staring and their eyes widen. There lying on a corpse of a mutilated woman in fetal position is a small child with white hair.

It is a gruesome and odd scene they are seeing. The body is mutilated and the womb of the woman seemed to have been cut open and it is where the child is lying. The woman's face sported an expression of perpetual horror and fear. Blood and gore was spilled everywhere around and it is clear that the culprit is the child that is currently lying on top of the corpse as if trying to sleep while covered in the woman's blood.

It is a rather disconcerting sight to connect such an innocent-looking child who is trying to sleep and failing with the act of murder that the child did, and they are sure the child did it since she has a pair of knives in her hand drenched in blood.

"This is…"

Brandon gulped.

"W-What are we seeing right now?"

Irina questioned with a small stutter, not believing her eyes. The child who is shuddering open her eyes fully, finding herself unable to sleep. The little girl got up and noticed the exorcists. She leapt from the bloodied corpse and tilted her head, looking at them with curious eyes.

"More mean people?"

The young girl asked in a cute voice. While by now their mind had registered that the girl is the culprit they have been looking for, and she doesn't seem to be just a simple stray devil, the exorcists just can't emotionally register that the little girl is the target they have to eliminate.

"A-are we really sure?"

Octavia asked. Brandon frowned at the question because the answer is quite clear but he doesn't comment on it. The little girl suddenly walked forward… and Brandon crossed the distance between them in a single step with the increased power from his Twice Critical and thrust his light sword at the young girl. Better to end this as fast as he can.

The young girl did not move to evade. The light sword found its way into the girl's chest and through her, a fatal stab to the heart that would kill any living being, especially a devil. That was too easy… that is until he did not see the girl falling to the ground lifeless. The little girl simply look at the sword impaling her and then look up at Brandon.

"Mister, that is not nice."

The girl said in an eerily cute voice, surprising Brandon as the light sword did not do anything to her. Suddenly there was a flash and Brandon felt something being wrapped around his waist and he was forcibly pulled back. Irina had managed to pull Brandon in the nick of time using Excalibur Mimic transformed into a whip that wraps around his waist. If not Brandon would've lost his head. His eyes widened and he is sweating as he realized how close he was to dying.

"Wh-what the hell? I did not see that coming at all!"

Brandon cried as he got up and ready his sword again. All three exorcists now knew to exercise caution when engaging this enemy. The little girl's swing was done at a speed so fast that only the flash of her blade was seen. Irina was the only one who could react in time, but it was just barely. She would've failed to react if she had not faced something with similar speed before. The last time she faced something with similar speed, it took her and Xenovia several hours to beat and it is with the advantage of wielding Excalibur and Durandal respectively.

This enemy will be even harder since it is not the least bit affected by Brandon's light sword charged with the power of his sacred gear. The girl doesn't even look damaged a bit. Irina, although can be an airhead from time to time, is not a fool, especially in combat. Fools don't live long in their line of work. If Brandon's light sword does not work, then even if her Excalibur works it will likely produce only minimal effect.

Suddenly the girl moved at a blinding speed. Irina came forward, blocking a slash from her knife with Excalibur Mimic. The blades met and Irina was pushed back, which is surprising considering the smaller stature of the girl. But it seems the girl's physical strength is still in manageable level, somewhat. While her hands and legs immediately feel sore just from blocking a single attack, the little girl is not overwhelmingly stronger that they would be blown away with a single strike. Though worryingly is that there is a chip on Excalibur Mimic's blade on the point where their blades met.

While Excalibur Mimic, a simple fragment of the original Excalibur made from alchemy is nowhere near as strong as the original, it is still a very sturdy sword that would not lose to anything save for a Sacred Gear in Balance Breaker or a full legendary sword. To think that a simple knife could even chip a part of the blade, it is more cause for concern.

The girl disappeared again and appeared behind Irina in a position to gut her. Octavia got in the way and use her two light swords to block the strike. The two light swords managed to block the stab with great difficulty… for a single moment. Octavia's eyes widened when her two swords shattered and the knife managed to enter the right side of her abdomen for a centimeter before she quickly kick away the little girl. Fortunately the kick connected and the girl was pushed back. Octavia kneeled, nursing the wound she received. While it is not a deep cut thanks to her quick reaction, blood has been drawn.

From over Octavia's shoulder, Brandon had pulled out his gun. He immediately pulled the trigger five times. The bullets he shot pierced the little girl's body… but it did nothing, not even making the girl flinch. The wound he dealt immediately closed just like the sword stab he gave her. This further shocked the exorcists.

"What is this thing?!"

Octavia cried, not believing what they are seeing. The little girl went back on the offensive, this time slashing at them. Irina again went to the front. She blocked the attack with Excalibur Mimic formed into a kite shield. The girl kept on slashing and stabbing the shield until Irina pushed her back with a shield bash. The other two exorcists draw two guns each while Irina drew her own with her free hand. They started shooting but the girl ignored any shot they made.

Even as a barrage of blessed bullets rain on her, the girl kept moving as if she had not been hit. Seeing the futility of their action, the exorcists ran while still shooting back, even when knowing the futility of their action. They can't help but want to do something even if it is useless. Irina ran at the rear, covering their escape as it seems only Excalibur Mimic could withstand the little girl's knives.

The exorcists ran while looking back, making sure the girl does not chase after them. They did not see her or hear her chasing. Just when they thought that the girl did not chase after them, a flash of blade came from above them and it was only Brandon's trained instinct that saved him from being sliced across the chest though blood was drawn as Brandon did not fully managed to jump back and the exorcist winced in pain.

Brandon fell backward and was caught by Octavia as Irina went to the front with Excalibur Mimic turned into a rapier, stabbing the girl in the heart again. While Irina suspect that even with Excalibur Mimic it still wouldn't do anything, it is still surprising to see that one of the church's prized weapon didn't even make an opponent flinch, especially when a clean hit was landed.

The girl retaliated with another simple slash. Irina turn Mimic into a shield again. With even an Excalibur not working, they have nothing that could work against the girl. They have no choice but to retreat and rethink of their strategy. First they have to get out of the alleys. Fighting in narrow space like this will only work to their disadvantage against their current opponent.

A spike shot out from the center of the shield and pierce the little girl in the chest again. While it did not do anything to her, Irina did not do this in another attempt to harm the girl. She lifted her shield along with the impaled girl and with a hard swing, she throw the girl behind them into a wall, using the flexibility of the Excalibur Mimic to increase the throwing power. While she cannot hurt her, it seems that the girl still have a somewhat physical form that she can be thrown around.

"Let's make a run for it!"

Brandon and Octavia nodded. The three exorcists ran as fast as they can and finally got to the streets.

Suddenly the girl appeared again from the fog and lunged at them at high speed. Irina was caught by surprise but managed to defend using Mimic as a shield but she felt her shield arm being dislocated as she was thrown back. The surprise attack from the front caught her unprepared and she had to defend with only one arm.

""Irina!""

Her friends called out in surprise seeing the Excalibur wielder being thrown back. But there is no time to help her as the little girl continue attacking them. Brandon held his light sword with both hands. The little girl swing her knife and Brandon blocked with his sword that held out for a second longer than Octavia thanks to him being empowered by his sacred gear. Octavia came from behind and slashed the girl with her two swords, again with no effect at all.

The girl jumped back into the thick fog disappearing from sight. The two exorcists stood back to back, covering each other's blind spot as they look around, wary where the next attack might come from.

"Careful, we don't know where the little bugger will attack from in this thick fog."

"She could be anywhere."

"Her attacks so far had been simplistic. No technique at all, simply wild but accurate, fast, and powerful swings."

"I noticed. But even knowing that, what can we do? Not even Irina's Excalibur works. This is not a devil, this is something else."

"Yeah and without knowing what we're up against and with no way to harm this thing, we have no other choice than to retreat."

The two of them nodded. There is no other choice than to retreat. Their weapons are ineffective and their enemy is strong and fast. There is nothing that they could do, only survive.

"Where is…

"Above!"

Suddenly they heard Irina yell. The two of them look up and saw the girl above them ready to strike death from the air. Irina who had recovered turn Mimic into a boomerang and with her only good hand she threw it. The boomerang struck the girl in the torso, foiling the attack. The boomerang fell as did the little girl but she landed perfectly on the street and ran straight at them again. Irina ran past them, leaving Mimic behind, and drew another weapon. She slashed at the girl who had reach striking distance.

And the girl screamed in pain.

The exorcists' eyes widen as the little girl's right arm was cut and she scream in pain. None of their weapons, not even Excalibur Mimic, managed to hurt the girl but Irina's new weapon did. Black shadow was seen on the blade's body where it cuts the little girl. There was no blood on the blade, simply black shadow that dissipates after a few seconds. The little girl glared at Irina who stood shocked. She jumped back into the fog, disappearing once again, this time not to return as the fog slowly lifts from the street.

Irina then fell on her knees tired with her new blade stabbed into the ground. She's panting and could feel the fatigue of the battle, especially after using her new weapon, one she took simply as a souvenir. She looked at the blade in her hand, her face reflected on the surface of the metal that shouldn't be there. The blade disappeared as Irina got up to her feet and look at the remaining hilt in her hand.

Who knew that the black key she picked up from her brother's spar with the head inquisitor would help her in such a time.

* * *

 **This is surprisingly much longer than I thought but I guess this will do. The first encounter with the Ripper left the exorcists beaten for the most part. Though I'm sorry that the fight seems simple and easy but it is for a reason. For one thing, Jack the Ripper is a murderer, not an assassin. Jackie does not know complex combat technique and rely more on natural speed and power in combat and being the amalgamation of souls of unborn children, tactics only goes as far as jumping back into the fog and strike from another angle so the exorcists manage to survive the encounter. But this is only the first encounter. I have around 3 to 4 more chapters for this arc and I can assure everyone, not everyone will survive this arc intact. Next battle will be harder even if Irina have a weapon that can harm Jackie.**

 **Now, as for why Jackie is immune to standard exorcist weapons and even the Excalibur Mimic, it is because she is just an amalgamation of soul. She is not entirely physical and while she can be punched, cut, shot, or whatever, she cannot be harmed by those. Only weapons directly attacking the soul could touch her, spiritual weapons. My guess is that Excalibur Blessing can touch her and a Reaper's Scythe would be effective too but in this case, the weapon of choice is the black keys. As described in Nasuverse, the black key is a spiritual weapon so it would work on an existence like Jackie's and it became Irina's saving grace this chapter since she took the key she picked up during Haruka and Kaya's spar as a souvenir.** **I also took this time to start building up Haruka and Xenovia's relationship with a spar in the next chapter in preparation for future story arcs which is why this chapter is longer than usual.**

 **A Reincarnated Writer: It would've ended there and then for Irina and Octavia if I include Maria the Ripper as an ability. And no, this is a different Dr. Jekyll than the one in the Nasuverse.**

 **Mythic Imagination: I somehow got the feeling that including Jackie will be fun and this is just the beginning though it won't be exactly the same Jackie as the one in Nasuverse. This one will be more... vengeful.**

 **King0fP0wers: Yup, it's the one from The Mummy and he will play some important roles in the future.**

 **Guest: Not exactly an exorcism ritual but it definitely won't end up with simple slashing and hacking because even if Irina has a weapon that could harm Jackie, harming is all it can do.**


	14. File 14

**File 14: The Morning After**

-Vatican-

It was early in the morning and it is already quite busy in the AX main HQ with the recent addition of two new members and they have to be brought up to speed before they are ready to be sent out. Though Haruka had the work cut out for him when it comes to Esther Blanchett.

She is a perfect fit for their group. Her mind and body is flexible and her dedication is admirable. Her intelligence helped her absorbs knowledge more easily and she already has the foundation for everything. The newbie agent is still a bit rough around the edges but she has the making of a powerful exorcist. She did survive on her own for years using her wits and whatever power she has at her disposal and their job is simply to refine her already formidable skill.

That is proven by her ability to keep up with Haruka. Granted he did not go all out or anywhere near the level of speed and power he displayed in his spar against Kaya but even when only armed with standard black keys instead of the customized ones used in his spar and not using touki, Haruka is a cut above the rest simply with his skill alone.

But Esther prove to be a high-class exorcist as she fend him off with everything in her disposal. Haruka dodged and bat away a small blast of holy energy from her sacred gear with his keys. Unlike his spar with Kaya where he uses six keys at once, he is currently wielding only a pair of keys like a normal sword.

While he does not move as fast as when he battled Kaya, Haruka's speed is already faster than an Olympic runner, and he moves as fast as humanly possible without any enhancement through ki or magic. He danced through the barrage of bullets Esther fired from her sacred gear and only get progressively closer.

Once he reached striking distance and dodged a bullet that narrowly missed his ear, Haruka lunged. With no time to switch from rifle to sword mode, Esther throw aside her sacred gear and pivoted to the side. Haruka missed and she tried to knee him with her left leg. The senior agent immediately let go the key in his left hand and block her attack but Esther is not done. She delivered another kick immediately but Haruka dodged, although barely since his position did not give him much room to maneuver.

Esther drew her gun and shot at Haruka. He blocked the bullets with his key and charged at her once again. Esther shot him some more but he dodged them this time and bat away the bullets that he has no time to dodge. It is surprising really. No normal human should be able to dodge or parry bullets so easily like he does. It proves that his strength and reflex had reached supernatural level.

It is Haruka's turn to go on the offensive, his hand moving at a blindingly fast speed, slashing at Esther with his key. Esther lean backward, the blade missing her by an inch. She then flipped backward, almost kicking Haruka on the chin if he had not reacted fast enough.

Her rifle once again appeared in her hand and she quickly charged it mid-flip. Her charge speed had improved by a good amount and in only a brief moment, she had charged enough power to unleash a strong shot, not as strong as the one she used back in Romania but strong enough to kill any stray devil under A-rank in a single shot. She pulled the trigger as soon as she landed and aimed her rifle at Haruka and a powerful blast was unleashed.

Haruka managed to block the blast in time with his key but some got through as his thin key did not manage to cover the attack's diameter though thankfully he managed to block most of the attack so that what hit him was not strong enough to really harm him as it only burn his clothes slightly. Thanks to the defense provided by the runes he etched on his clothing he is relatively unharmed but if he had not blocked most of the blast he wouldn't have gotten away with just a sore hand.

Haruka moved again, increasing the rate of his attack. He swung his single key even faster and Esther met him head on with her sacred gear in sword mode. Their blades clashed, sending sparks flying from the point of contact. Haruka kicked and she blocked. Esther followed up with an uppercut slash parried by Haruka's key. The female agent spun and kicked high. Haruka dodged backward and respond with a slash blocked by Esther's sacred gear. The two lock blades until Haruka pushed her away.

Esther leap back and draw three knives with her free hand from the knife holster strapped on her thigh. She threw the knives. Haruka dodged two and caught the third between his index and middle finger. He sent the knife back only to be caught by Esther. He smirked.

"Not bad. At this level, you should be able to fight a high-class opponent alone. I'd say soloing an A-class stray or the lower end S-class should be possible though it will be dangerous but you still have more untapped potential. You've improved quite a lot in the short time you've been here and will only continue to grow stronger."

Haruka compliment her. Esther felt glad that her improvement is recognized. While she still cannot force Haruka to go all out, she believed she had done well enough. Haruka, while holding back, is still a force to be reckoned with. He is already stronger by far compared to her original trainer when holding back and he had not shown his full capability yet.

Esther get ready for another attack from Haruka. While she is feeling winded after nearly three hours of sparring with him she can still go for at least another hour or two if she needed to. But Haruka did not continue his offensive. Instead, he deactivated his black key, pick up the one he dropped and put them away. This signified that their spar is done, to Esther's slight disappointment. Though she felt more tired than usual since Haruka gradually increase the difficulty level of their spar.

"You're done?"

Valerie questioned from the sideline, looking up from the book she was reading. She closed the book and got up from her sitting position, giving both Esther and Haruka a bottle of water each along with towel to wipe their sweat.

Valerie for the time being was exempt from their physical training session. Because she lost one of her Sephiroth Graal her physical condition is not exactly great. Originally, she shouldn't even be able to move around like she does now but thanks to Haruka, Woodsworth and Asia's effort she could do daily activity without much problem but doing overly taxing physical activity is still beyond her.

Because of that, she doesn't have much to do and she can't be trained or deployed until her missing grail is found. But that doesn't mean she can just laze around and do nothing, not that Valerie would want to do that anyway. She doesn't want to be some kind of freeloader so she took the time to learn about the healing art and magical knowledge.

That means she would train under both Asia and Haruka. Asia is the one with the best medical knowledge among them and is a certified doctor –Haruka was surprised when he found out- while Haruka is the only one among them who knew offensive magic as the rest relies on sacred gears for magical attacks.

Today she has no schedule with either Haruka or Asia so Valerie took the time to relax and read some books while watching Haruka and Esther spar. It ended earlier than usual, to her surprise. Training usually took more time than this. They would usually start at eight and end at twelve or one o'clock. Right now it's not even eleven but they have stopped.

"This is earlier than usual. Do you have a mission after this?"

Valerie inquired. Haruka shook his head.

"No, I have something to do after this."

He answered. He then left for the shower room, leaving the two girls wondering what he was talking about. As far as they know, Haruka has nothing else to do or else they would've been informed since everyone is expected to know what everyone else is doing so they can coordinate with each other on resources and schedule… unless of course if it is something personal.

"Something to do huh? Do you think he's going on a date?"

Valerie questioned Esther whose eyes widened and choked on the water she's drinking. She coughed a few times and then stared at Valerie in disbelief.

"W-w-what?!"

"It could be a date. Maybe his girlfriend just came back from a mission the day before, that's why he missed out on your training, and they planned to meet up today for a date. I think I saw him watching a girl leaving when we found him."

Esther was about to open her mouth to reply but stopped. She did recall Haruka watching a girl leave though she didn't get a good view of any of her features but she is sure that it's a girl. But is it really possible? Exorcists do take the vow of celibacy and despite their rather special situation Esther doesn't think that they are exempt from that. Well, she had not taken hers but she will take it when she reached twenty.

Now she is curious.

Though she decided she could always ask him some other time though and Haruka will probably tell her. It's not a terribly important thing and if it is a personal matter then she would respect his privacy.

Esther head back to her room to wash away her sweat followed by Valerie who shares the same room as her. The two entered their room. It is a moderately sized room that is actually more than twice as large as her old room when she was still a trainee exorcist. Two simple beds occupy each corner of the room with two desks lined up side by side between them and a wardrobe stood in front of each bed. Those are the basic furnish the room has and while Esther doesn't have much more things to add to her side other than important items like equipments, Valerie has a PC on her desk and some boxes.

To the right is another door that lead to their bathroom. Esther fetched a change of clothes and a towel from her wardrobe and head to the bathroom while Valerie leapt onto her bed, swinging her legs up and down thinking on what to do next. Suddenly she had a thought and a sly smile make its way to her lips. It should be interesting and she had always wanted to try something like this. She just need to ask Esther to accompany her.

Esther got out of the shower and put on her uniform. Valerie is already waiting for her outside the shower room with a mischievous grin. Esther looked at Valerie and suddenly got a bad vibe coming from her friend. The dhampir lean closer and with an innocent look, proposed an idea.

"Let's spy on Haruka."

"…what?"

* * *

Esther should've known that this is the kind of thing Valerie would be interested in. Even if she had only known the dhampir for a short time, Valerie could have a mischievous streak in her and could act much like the usual teenage schoolgirl when she's in the mood. It's a result of never being allowed outside the Tepes mansion. Being locked up and surrounded by people that dislike did that to her and now that she has a semblance of freedom she began trying out things.

Esther first experienced this when Valerie would dress her up for fun with her own uniform and her old dress. Thankfully right now they don't have other clothes other than their uniform or the clothes they came to Vatican in but that will probably change in the future when Valerie can get her hand on some new clothes.

And right now she is being dragged around to spy on Haruka to find out if he really is going on a date. They saw him leave wearing his usual uniform but without his red holy shroud. Valerie would drag her around while hiding behind the shadows of buildings and objects a distance away from Haruka. Esther had resigned herself to just be dragged around by Valerie who appears like she's having fun.

Haruka in his part know that he's being followed the moment he exited the HQ. He is not the espionage specialist for nothing. While Valerie appears to think that she hasn't been found yet, Esther knows perfectly well that he knew about them and discretely send him an apologizing look when she noticed him glancing at them. Haruka sighs and decided to humor Valerie since it is now clear to him that it was the dhampir's idea, though he can't guess why she's spying on him.

While he did wonder why Valerie is following him around while dragging Esther along, it doesn't bother him much since he's fine with them knowing what he's about to do. He then head towards the Exorcist HQ and entered the building like normal. With the number of exorcists from numerous backgrounds coming and going, nobody paid him much attention, especially since he is not wearing his holy shroud and he is good at sneaking around.

After searching for a while, Haruka finally found the person he's looking for dressed in her white robe with her hood on leaning on a wall near the indoor training ground he used when he sparred with Kaya. The female exorcist noticed him and walked up to him.

"Haruka."

"Xenovia."

They greeted each other curtly and Xenovia went to his side.

"Have you waited long?"

Haruka asked. The blue haired exorcist shook her head.

"I have just finished my training with sister Griselda."

"I see. I have also just finished with my morning training. Well then, shall we begin?"

Xenovia nodded and follow his lead as the two of them head towards the indoor training ground he used in his spar with Kaya.

Not far behind them, looking over from a corner while drawing the looks of other exorcists due to their strange behavior, Esther and Valerie saw Haruka walking together with Xenovia. While Esther recognized the girl as the one she met when she first became acquainted with Haruka's sister, Valerie who had not met Xenovia had another thought.

"I knew it, so he does have a date with someone!"

While Esther doesn't know what they are doing, she is quite sure that it is not a date and proceed to sigh while she's dragged by her friend to follow them… again.

* * *

-London-

Irina rubbed her swollen arm courtesy of blocking that assassin girl's strong attacks. In addition to her arm, Irina's back is sore too but it is nothing she cannot handle compared to her arm that had taken much more punishment from blocking the girl's attacks. While she's sure that her bones are not broken, it is still painful. Thankfully, impact absorption spells are a standard feature on every exorcist uniform as they are sure to be thrown around a lot. If not for that, Irina is sure that they would need a doctor to set her back straight.

Brandon and Octavia also nursed their own injuries. They have applied bandages over their own injuries, nothing serious, just some shallow cuts. They were quite lucky that the little girl had more raw power and speed but lacked the true skills of an assassin or they could've died. They only survived because they are more skilled individually even if they were outmatched, though much of their troubles could be attributed to the fact that none of their weapons worked on their enemy, none other than one.

Irina held up the weapon that had saved them last night. The black key she picked up during her brother's match against the head inquisitor. Haruka allowed her to keep it as a souvenir but who would've expected for it to work against an enemy that not even Excalibur Mimic cannot harm.

Right now the team is outside the chief's office. They need to report about the mission's failure. None of them are quite happy with their failure but it should be understandable when their opponent cannot be harmed by their standard weapons. When they heard Carlson's voice telling them to come in, the trio entered his office one by one.

Richard Carlson sat behind his desk with hands folded staring at the three exorcists. Since this is not the first time he is in a debriefing with this team of three, Richard could guess from their somber expression that the mission ended in failure, which is quite surprising. This trio is one of the best teams in the London branch and short of a high A-class or S-class stray he doubted their opponent could survive this team.

"Report."

He ordered simply. The three looked at each other and both Brandon and Octavia urged Irina to speak. The Japanese exorcist sighed and began her report from the beginning starting with their fruitless search when the sun was still up. She could skip those of course but she was taught that it was proper procedure to give the full details in a report from the time the mission officially starts until it ends.

Octavia and Brandon always wondered why someone like Irina actually bothered to report the part where nothing happened when generally everyone skipped straight to the point when giving a verbal report. They didn't know that it was Griselda Quarta who is a complete stickler for rules that had beat this habit into her when Irina was training with Xenovia.

Richard hoped that Irina would skip straight to the point though he knew why Irina include even minor, unimportant details in her report. She is not the first person trained by the infamous Griselda that he had met. When Irina started reporting their encounter with the enemy, Richard finally gave her his full attention. Irina gave a detailed report and description of their opponent, the girl's immense strength and speed, the fog, and what they did and how everything didn't work against the girl.

Richard frowned when he heard that nothing worked against the girl and clearly what the team had faced is not a stray devil at all. Then came the intriguing part where Irina said that she tried using another weapon and it worked. She took out the weapon in question and Richard is surprised that Irina has one in her possession.

Oh, he knew what it is alright. While he had held it before and even swung it once or twice when he was first offered the weapon, he never really used it because it didn't suit his fighting style and he relied more on his sacred gear, though he is surprised that Irina has it, and considering the design, it is a custom-made one which is stronger and more energy-intensive and is imbued with several high-level sacraments.

"Where did you get this?"

Richard questioned the young exorcist.

"At Vatican. It belonged to my brother and he let me have one as a souvenir and a backup weapon."

Richard raised an eyebrow at this claim. Irina's brother, Shidou Haruka he recalled, had gone missing with no news at all for years. Since he had not been declared a stray, missing, or killed, someone must've known where he is. It appeared that he had 'defected' to the Catholic sect and now resides in the Vatican, much to his chagrin. Then again, even if he is not part of the Catholic sect, he might as well be one with the centralized policy of the Church as a whole.

If he is issued a black key, and a custom one to boot, he must be very skilled and the Church policy is to have all people with a certain level of skill to be transferred to the Vatican. This is a show of power as the Vatican is the central seat of power of the Abrahamic religion and will be watched by various factions regardless. The presence of many powerful exorcists in the 'Holy Capital' project an image of power and if each came from a different sect it will also project an image of unity.

Richard shook his head. This is not the time to think of that matter. He has other matters to attend to, mainly about this new insight to their current opponent who is apparently impervious to their usual weaponry, even Excalibur Mimic, though since the black key in Irina's possession seems to work, this meant that their enemy is not invincible.

Now this is quite a conundrum. Since their standard weaponry don't work even if they can hit the girl, he can't just send anyone out on this mission or they will, without a doubt, die. Plus, while there are several people who could use black keys in the London branch, they cannot use it for an extended period of time since those things are draining, that is assuming that all keys would work against this opponent. He can't be sure since the black key Irina showed him is a customized one and he doesn't know if the damage Irina managed to inflict was caused by the black key's standard power or its additional customization.

Richard sighed. They will need to learn some more about this opponent and he will head out there to take care of the problem himself. And just in case, he will take those black keys that are gathering dust in his home with him.

"Good work. The three of you may rest. I will handle this matter personally."

He told them, surprising the trio.

"You will be taking over the mission, chief?"

Richard nodded. It is clear that his team is not equipped for this mission and while Irina has a proper weapon, she had mentioned that it is difficult for her to maintain the key for long. No surprise with the multiple high-level sacraments it has.

"I will. The three of you may leave now. I need to prepare myself."

Richard told them. They nodded and left the chief's office, leaving him to his thoughts. Once they are out of the chief's office, Brandon and Octavia decided to head towards the lounge.

"To think that the chief decide to take over the mission himself. Do you think he'll be fine?"

Brandon asked Octavia who is walking beside him.

"He should be. He is the chief because he is the strongest exorcist in our branch, right?"

"Hmph, I guess you're right."

While her friends are talking, Irina walk behind them still curiously looking at the black key she's carrying. That was the first time she used her brother's key and its power is certainly impressive if it could cut an opponent they couldn't harm before. Maybe she should talk to her brother later and tell him about her mission. She does have his phone number now and if he's unavailable she could always talk to Esther and ask her to leave a message to her brother.

Irina put away the key into her robe and catch up to her friends. While they technically failed their mission, they survived their fight against a strong enemy and for now, Irina is happy for that.

While the exorcists are having their downtime, in the alley where they fought last night now stood Dr. Henry Jekyll staring down at the corpse of the woman who became a victim of his current target. There is no need to do a thorough autopsy. He could immediately recognize the culprit just by spotting the small details on the spot.

"It matched the files kept by Scotland Yard to a tee. There's no doubt this is old boy Jackie's work. Now then, how is that possible? Are you a new person with the same skill and modus operandi or… are you that Jackie from a century ago?"

Jekyll wondered as he gestured at his subordinates to clean up the dead bodies. He left the scene of the crime with only one thought. He will be quite busy tonight hunting down an old friend.

* * *

 **...to be honest, I really don't know what to say about this file because there's simply nothing I could comment on so I'll just leave it at this. Next file will have more action with the Vatican part featuring Haruka vs Xenovia and London part featuring Richard, Irina, and Jekyll vs Jack the Ripper. Seriously, this arc had gone on longer than I thought. But unlike the previous versions of this story, I did invest more time and effort and even the average file for this story has more words than my other stories. There will likely be 4 or 5 more files at least for this arc, I think. We're already halfway through after all and I'm itching to write the Kokabiel arc.**

 **Anyway, credits given to RedWolff in SpaceBattles for fixing several mistakes I made in this file.**

 **Mythic Imagination: I did put more effort in this story out of all my stories... except maybe my Macross Delta stories. I sure hope this is good or else all the migraine I get will be for nothing.**

 **The Last Kenpachi: The ones from Riser's peerage? I wouldn't know since I already forgot them.**

 **FanNasuVerse93: I did think about how a killer would fight. There's a difference between a trained assassins and murderers on the street.**


	15. File 15

**File: 15: Learning**

-Vatican-

Those who knew Kaya Syokka quite well would knew that she has a rather short list of things she hates. Being part of the Papal Inquisitor that is known to have many members who are pretty much madly zealous, many would suspect that the top of that list is occupied by devils or heretics. They would be mistaken. What Kaya hates the most is doing a mountain of paperwork. To her, paperwork is the vilest thing that can ever exist in the world and not even all four Maou could be viler than that headache-inducing stack of papers at the corner of her desk on a busy day.

Even on slow days there are at least a twenty inches tall pile of paperwork that she had to go through which mainly consists of mission reports, proposal for anything like budget, equipment change or whatever, and a lot more though a certain joker find it funny to slip in a marriage form with his and her name on it. Kaya was not amused and that joker whose name she didn't even bother to remember was placed on toilet cleaning duty for a month.

Today she has several piles to go through which luckily had been sort out by her subordinate. The first two piles she finished are mission reports which are easy enough though since she had learned how to read quickly. Reading mission reports though is the easiest work she has. The others are not as simple, especially the shortest pile while, despite having the least amount of papers, is the most troublesome and one she really doesn't want to read.

It is also the reason why the head inquisitor who is usually sitting inside St Peter's Basilica when not in the field is currently in the Exorcist Agency HQ. She is looking for new members to replace their numbers.

The short pile contained reports of fallen inquisitors. Not really unusual as their line of work is definitely dangerous but still a pile she rather not read. She had read enough of those in the thirteen months since she become head inquisitor. While inquisitors are some of the most elite group in the church, they also receive some of the deadliest missions available like facing SS-rank enemies or go to dangerous places. It's really not as great as their status imply. While inquisitors are equal to archbishops and she as head inquisitor is equivalent to a cardinal in authority, it's a really deadly job.

Kaya had just finished the paperwork to have the new inquisitors transferred from the Agency. She'll need to do a briefing before the end of the day though tomorrow is also fine. She's in no hurry after all. Though that's mostly her mood speaking. She just doesn't feel like working after dealing with a heavy subject like her subordinate's death. Not to mention that she has to send letters to the deceased inquisitors' family. She hates that part of the job.

As the head inquisitor was about to leave since her business is done, she saw someone unexpected passing through the corridor in front of her. Shidou Haruka, her rival, is talking with a blue haired exorcist that she vaguely recognized. She felt like she had seen her before, though not directly. It took Kaya almost three minutes to recognize who it is.

"What is Haruka doing with the Durandal girl?"

Kaya wondered. She shrugs and continued walking. It's not her business who Haruka are friends with anyway. Kaya was about to make a turn when two more people she recognize appeared and almost bumped into her, especially a familiar redhead who is more or less Haruka's protégée.

"Head inquisitor?!"

Esther Blanchett did not expect to bump into Kaya. Unlike with the Durandal wielder, Kaya immediately recognize the girl as even from their brief first meeting, she made a deeper first impression. Plus she makes it her job to know who is in the special operation section. Though Kaya can't help but feel she had heard Esther's name at least once before in passing.

"Esther Blanchett?"

"Esther, let's hurry up or we'll lost them!"

"Wait Valerie, there's no need to hurry, they're not going any wheee-! Slow down!"

A blonde girl that Kaya remembered to have been introduced as Valerie Nightroad suddenly grabbed Esther's hand and ran towards the direction where Haruka went. Kaya wondered what that's all about. Now she is curious. Kaya went to follow Valerie and Esther. She has nothing better to do anyway… other than some boring paperwork she left with her assistant.

Knowing the Agency's main building like the back of her hand, Kaya immediately caught up with the blonde and red head. She saw them –or rather Valerie- peeking into a training room. She grabbed the two unknowing girls by the collar and threw them in, surprising one of the room's occupant.

Xenovia was surprised when the two girls was thrown in, and she's even more surprised when she saw the head inquisitor was the one who threw them in. Though she had seen the young head inquisitor several times in the past, she never talked to her or even meet her face-to-face. Haruka meanwhile simply sighs.

"Do you really have to throw them in?"

He questioned Kaya half-heartedly. The inquisitor shrugs.

"Might as well. Anyway, I noticed that the blonde wore a custom uniform. Another new member?"

Kaya asked, referring to Valerie who is wearing a custom uniform with church apparel that she doesn't wear previously. Kaya simply took a guess on why since there is only one section who has no set uniform and allow individual members to customize their clothing to such an extent.

"Yeah. She's the wielder of the Longinus Sephiroth Graal."

"I see. You've been getting recruits recently. That aside, I see that you have the Durandal wielder with you."

Kaya nodded, now acknowledging Valerie as a new member of the special operation section, though she never heard of her before which is strange since as a Longinus wielder she should've heard of Valerie at least five times if she's raised in the church. Filing that thought for later, Kaya shifted her attention to Xenovia while Esther and Valerie got up from the floor. Esther saw him and gave him an apologetic look while Valerie is embarrassed because she's found out.

"I'm sorry. Valerie insists on following you. She thinks that you're going on a date."

Esther decided to throw Valerie into the fire like the good friend she is which caused Valerie to look at her, feeling betrayed.

"Esther, how could you!"

"If it makes you feel better, he knows anyway. Did you forget his specialty?"

Esther replied to Valerie's whining, making her stop to think. Now that Esther had said it, she recall what Haruka's specialty is and smiled sheepishly.

"Ahaha, I forgot. But if you know you should've called out. So, are you and that girl on a date?!"

Valerie excitedly asked, leaning closer to Haruka. The elder Shidou sibling push her away as she's being too close and too excitable, reminding him of Irina in a sugar rush when they were younger.

"Nope. I promised to help her train. You guys can stay and watch."

Haruka explained. He then turn to Xenovia who is being sized up by Kaya in the same way Irina was just a few days ago. Like the younger Shidou, Xenovia earned a frown from the head inquisitor.

"You're not up to par, are you?"

Kaya said. Again with the blunt assessment that she does when she met someone new that caught her attention, though Haruka had to admit that Kaya does have an eye in seeing people with talent and from how she put it, Kaya meant that Xenovia is not reaching her full potential.

Her words can be taken in a different way though since while she is many things, her social skill left much to be desired, though unlike Asia who is socially inept due to having a sheltered life, Kaya is like that simply because she doesn't care about the opinion of many people, only those that she consider matters to her.

"Uhh, what?"

Xenovia dumbly asked. This will take a while if he let it continue so Haruka cut in.

"Okay, that's enough of that Kaya. Leave the girl alone unless you want to help her."

Kaya backed down and left Xenovia, turning to Haruka this time, though her eyes landed on Esther and Valerie for a brief moment before stopping at Haruka. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but stopped halfway. When she opened her mouth again, she managed to speak what she wanted to say.

"Haruka, are you trying to build a harem?"

There was a pause, followed by several differing reactions. Xenovia tilted her head in confusion and so does Valerie as the term is unfamiliar to them. Esther though is blushing so hard that her cheeks turned the same shade as her hair. Haruka just has that 'WTF' look.

"…what?"

"I mean, whenever I see you, you're always around girls."

"Coincidence. Let's not talk about that."

Kaya didn't mention the topic any further as it is just a random thought she had, though she will definitely use it to tease Haruka in the future. The older Shidou sibling definitely doesn't like that mischievous glint in Kaya's eyes and decide to get things started.

"Let's get started."

"Then I shall evaluate her while you two fight."

Kaya said. Haruka nodded since it's Kaya who is going to evaluate Xenovia. She has good eyes in analyzing someone's capability. Xenovia is getting even more excited since the head inquisitor will be evaluating her, the strongest female exorcist of the current generation is evaluating her. She is definitely resolved to not give her a disappointing show.

Both Haruka and Xenovia got into position. The blue haired exorcist held out her hand and chanted something. A magic circle appear right over her hand as a sword handle appear, a sword Kaya could immediately identify and one Haruka can never forget. Xenovia grasped the handle with her right hand and pull the sword out from the magic circle, revealing the enormous form of Durandal, well, enormous in Xenovia's hand at least. The sword is almost as large as herself, though it doesn't look as odd as it was years ago.

"She stored it in a pocket dimension? So she cannot control Durandal's power."

Kaya mumbled as she takes up a thinking pose with her right hand touching her chin while her left hand is crossed.

Xenovia took off her white robed that covered much of her figure. She throw it aside to reveal her battle uniform which earned her a look from Esther. Always the proper girl, Haruka knew that she doesn't like seeing that skintight female exorcist uniform. Haruka internally chuckled and took off his coat and along with it, most of his arsenal including his spare keys, daggers, and guns. He threw his coat towards their audience, which was caught by Esther. Now he is wearing only his white vestment.

With a flick of his wrist, his six black keys shot out from his sleeves and into his grip. He activated the blade and enter his stance with his right side forward holding his first three sets of keys at the ready on the same level as his chest while his left side keys are held downward in a more relaxed position. With their weapons in hand, the two fighters are now ready.

A confident smirk is plastered on the AX agent's face while Xenovia put up a stoic expression. After three seconds, the two of them both moved. Kaya is surprised that Xenovia faster than an average exorcist. Though it is still nowhere near Haruka's speed, it is still considerable since her built is that of a power type and her heavy weapon should've slowed her down even more.

Xenovia slashed upward and Haruka sidestepped. Haruka thrust his right hand keys at Xenovia as the girl pulled back her sword. She leaned to the right just in time or it would've been a very short spar but Haruka followed up with a kick that nailed her side. She staggered backward and winced. Haruka's kicks must've been strong to make her feel it through her reinforced costume.

Haruka followed up with another thrust but Xenovia managed to block it using Durandal's flat side but due to her bad footing, she fell onto the ground. She quickly rolled out of the way when Haruka came down upon her. Pieces of concrete went flying when Haruka carved three gashes on the ground with his keys. Xenovia who rolled out of the way quickly got back to her feet as Haruka continue his assault.

Vicious and strong, that is what Xenovia thought as she blocked Haruka's slash from the left only to almost got herself stabbed when Haruka's right hand keys attack her at the same time. She pivoted out of the way and spun a full circle, slashing her sword and shooting out a wave of destructive energy which Haruka simply disperse by slashing it with his enhanced black keys.

Haruka moved in. Xenovia tried to strike him down but Haruka simply brush aside her slash and perform a high kick, connecting with her chin and sending the blue haired exorcist flying. Haruka spun and kicked her hard in the stomach when she came down, sending her straight into a pillar. Esther winced as Haruka had done that once to her in their hand-to-hand combat training. She could still remember how sore her back was then and only her reinforced uniform protected her from a broken back and fatal internal damage.

Xenovia emerged from the rubles, surprisingly still combat capable but definitely worse for wear than when Kaya got kicked by Haruka. She coughed out a bit of blood. Impact absorption or not, that kick and subsequent crash is quite painful and she even felt her head spinning. She shook her head and trying to ignore the light concussion she's experiencing as she once again grab hold of Durandal and held it with both hands.

Xenovia weakly smiled. This is the power of an elite exorcist, one of the church's best. He is fast and strong and the skill he displayed is incredible and Xenovia got the feeling that he had not gone all out. There's probably a lot more he's holding back but even when he's holding back Xenovia still finds it difficult to keep up, especially with his style, a style she had never seen before.

There is no mistaking his strength. Even using Durandal she still cannot push him back. His blades, even when meeting her legendary sword, did not falter. The rumors are true, that black keys held by someone powerful can rival a holy sword, especially custom ones like Haruka's.

Haruka suddenly moved. He lunged at her, covering the distant between them in a single dash. Xenovia use the flat side of her blade to block, holding her sword horizontally just in front of her chest. He continued with a kick at her sword which pushed her back. Her hands holding the sword felt sore but the excitement of the battle kept her going. She made an uppercut that Haruka dodged and then she swing down her sword, hard, while gathering destructive holy energy on the blade's surface. Haruka blocked using all six of his keys.

The powerful strike made his knee buckle under the enormous offensive power of the blue haired exorcist. But he is not part of the Special Operation Section for nothing. When he saw that Durandal is gathering power, he immediately put as much power as he can into his keys and skillfully control that power to further increase his keys' durability. As a result, his weapons didn't even dent when he blocked the legendary sword.

Kaya is impressed that Xenovia managed to get Haruka on his knees. Granted he's not using touki but this just proves that Xenovia's natural strength is greater than Haruka, which is impressive. Even without touki, Haruka's natural strength is already great enough, as expected of an elite exorcist. It seems that by parameter, Xenovia has the potential to become an elite exorcist.

Esther too is impressed. Xenovia is doing better than her compared to when she first fought Haruka in Romania, and Haruka held back even more back then. Then again, Esther had no decisive advantage over Haruka like the blue haired exorcist. Her parameter is evenly spread out and more balanced while Xenovia is more inclined towards brute strength. While her other parameters are either around or lower than Esther's, Xenovia's strength parameter seems to be around or somewhat higher than Haruka's. This also has a side effect of boosting her endurance as she sure can take a beating.

Only Valerie doesn't care much about assessing the blue Durandal wielder. She simply watched the fight like she's watching a wrestling show on TV.

A bead of sweat ran down Haruka's cheek at the strain from blocking Xenovia's attack. But then he suddenly smirked.

"Impressive strength, but…"

Suddenly his left hand key disengaged and he deactivate it. He then shifted the positioning of his right hand blades, lifting his arm a little and shifting his keys so that Durandal's blade meets the flat side of his keys. Thanks to the positioning of his blades, Durandal slid down the flat side of his keys as he moved out of the way by pivoting slightly on his feet.

Haruka suddenly deactivated his blades and move closer in a single step. He grabbed Xenovia's sword hand with his left hand and twisted it until Xenovia winced in pain, releasing her hold on Durandal, and he pulled back his right hand. Xenovia's eyes widened and she knew she has no time to evade. Haruka then punch her hard and again send her crashing to a pillar. Haruka breathe out and relax his stance.

"…is that bajiquan?"

Kaya questioned. Haruka shrugged as he honestly doesn't know half of the unarmed martial art moves he practiced.

"I never asked. My teacher kinda told me to practice various stances with no question asked."

Kaya wonder what kind of teacher Haruka had if that's the kind of thing he's told to do by his teacher.

They then heard groaning and Xenovia emerged from the rubles sporting numerous cuts bruises from the falling debris on her face and some light tearing on her costume. She coughed out more blood and tried to stand up but her body is in pain and her feet is wobbling. Haruka weakly chuckled as his punch must've caused internal damage. That punch, if he were to seriously execute it, could pulverize her whole internal organ if she had not worn that costume of hers. But even with its impact absorption feature, it appears that his punch is hard enough to cause internal injury.

Xenovia tried to walk but she has no more strength and fell forward. Haruka ran and caught her before she could hit the floor. She looked up at him and weakly laughed.

"I guess this is the difference between us, Haruka."

Haruka's eyes widened at her words and he softly smiled.

"You're not half bad yourself, Xenovia."

"Indeed. You were sent flying, twice, by Haruka and still managed to remain conscious. You even managed to get him on his knee. I can confidently say that you are much stronger than the average exorcist."

Kaya suddenly cut in, walking towards the two with Esther and Valerie in tow. Haruka gestured at Valerie to come and heal Xenovia since she's being trained as a healer by Asia. While she cannot fully heal her, she could patch her up until Xenovia can get proper medical care.

Valerie began healing Xenovia with the power of Sephiroth Graal. She's not skilled enough yet to fully use its power for healing purpose but she could manage somewhat. While Valerie heals her, Kaya continue her evaluation of Xenovia's ability.

"Strength-wise, you're even stronger than Haruka. Even your reflex is good since you can at least follow his movement. The only problem is your technique and speed. While your speed is understandable due to your weapon and build, your skill is the only part I will have to point out."

Kaya told her. Xenovia pay full attention to what Kaya is about to say. So far, she's quite glad that the head inquisitor seems to have good things to say about her but now comes the time to hear her shortcomings.

"Your skill is good, I will admit, and you know what you're doing. But you have two glaring problems."

Kaya held out two fingers and close one as she began listing Xenovia's problems.

"One, you don't seem to be capable of handling Durandal. You kept it stored because you cannot control it."

"Wait, it's not because it's easier to store it in a pocket dimension?"

Esther cut in.

"Nope. I've seen her around Vatican and when she's given Excalibur Destruction to supplement her use of Durandal, she carried it around on her back."

Xenovia didn't appear to see any problem with her carrying around her sword in such manner if her lack of reaction were anything to go by and Kaya decided that she won't be the one to point it out. She continue listing Xenovia's problem and close her second finger.

"And two, while you are good, you are also easy to read."

"Huh?"

Xenovia was a bit surprised by the second problem Kaya brought up. She is easy to read? What did she mean by that? Esther though understood what Kaya meant. When she watched Xenovia fight, she could guess what her next move is going to be. How she fights is… generic to put it simply.

Unlike Esther herself who continuously switch between long and short range or a combination of both, or Haruka and Kaya who could fight on any surface their feet can touch combined with a deadly fighting style, Xenovia moves like a typical swordsman. That makes Xenovia easy to figure out just by knowing her weapon and how she usually moves.

"Nothing we can't fix though."

Kaya grinned and turn to face Xenovia. There's an idea forming in her mind after she saw Xenovia's performance. True that she was easily beaten by Haruka but Kaya had never expected her to win anyway. She knew how strong Haruka is. But what she saw was enough to convince her that Xenovia has potential and Haruka knew it too. If not, Haruka wouldn't bother humoring her with a spar, or at least that's what Kaya suspected.

Besides, Xenovia is just what she need right now.

"Xenovia Quarta, I, Kaya Syokka, head of the Papal Inquisitor, would like to invite you to join our ranks as my apprentice."

* * *

-London-

Irina is lying on her bed in her room. She is currently out of her exorcist uniform, wearing a white shirt with red sleeves and a navy blue jeans like she's preparing to go out somewhere with her friends like a normal schoolgirl. Well, she's not.

Irina is currently thinking about her encounter with their current opponent. It was the first time she faced an enemy she couldn't harm with Excalibur Mimic. Well, this is also the first time she faced an enemy that's not a magician, devil, vampire, or any other monster. She doesn't even know what that… thing is. Even when she cut that girl with her brother's key, she did not see any blood spilled by black mist.

This is the first time she faced an opponent that doesn't appear to have flesh and blood. No wonder her weapon cannot harm that girl. Even if it is an Excalibur Fragment, it is still a sword and a sword needs a flesh to cut. You can't cut something that has no flesh.

But then that begs the question how her brother's key could harm that girl. What makes the key different from their other weapons? Irina tried to think up of a reason for a while but she can't find anything. Not surprising since she's just a simple exorcist who's not really that high up in the food chain. While Esther had given her a brief explanation on black keys, she doesn't really know what it can actually do than make a powerful blade based on the user's capability.

"Maybe it is equipped with a special sacrament?"

Irina thought outloud though to be honest, she doesn't even know much about what she's talking about. She didn't pay enough attention during the lesson about sacraments and since she doesn't use it, she never bother to learn about it more than knowing that it exists and it is kinda like magic spells used by followers of God. She heard that there is a branch in the church that specialize in the use of sacraments but that's as far as her knowledge goes.

It is at times like these that she realized how lacking her knowledge is. Well, she's never the studious type anyway, or rather she lacks the initiative to learn anything that is not readily given or available to her. Besides, all she needs to do is follow order and everything will be fine.

Irina got up from her bed and look outside the window. It will be sundown soon and that… thing will appear again. And this time the chief will be the one to face it, alone.

Irina then went to her desk and looked at a photo she always kept close by. It's a photo of three children with her and a brown-haired boy smiling while making a peace sign. She looks boy back then and she along with the brown-haired boy are covered in dirt. Behind them is her brother looking exasperated though still managed to smile at the camera.

She looked outside the window again and made a decision. She grabbed her jacket from the hanger behind her door and picked up the black key lying on her desk.

Shidou Irina decided to set out and help the chief.

* * *

 **Okay, this file had gone a bit longer than I expected that I decided to cut the London side a bit since the Vatican side took so long. Originally, this should cover both Haruka vs Xenovia and Irina's second encounter with Jackie together with the chief and if I had enough time, Jekyll's intervention. Unfortunately, or amazingly, I wrote so much more than I expected for the Vatican side that including the London side will make this the single largest file I have ever written so I decided to stop the file with Irina setting out to do her thing. So since this happened, the next file will focus solely on the London side of things from start till the end. This story arc is reaching its climax soon enough.**

 **Anyway, in this file we have the Haruka vs Xenovia fight. It's honestly hard to write since while it is obvious that Xenovia will lose badly due to the difference in power and experience, I tried to make it so that Xenovia is not hopelessly outclassed and actually show some potential. This is hard to write and I had rewritten it at least 3 times with one idea actually having Esther be the one to fight Xenovia but thankfully I pulled through somehow. So now Xenovia had caught the attention of the head inquisitor and got offered a spot in the most prestigious group in the church. I figured it's a better choice than have her join AX like I originally planned. It will look like I'm playing favorites. Besides, Xenovia would be a better fit as an Inquisitor rather than an agent in a dubious unit anyway.**

 **One last thing. Originally, I planned to include an omake in this file but I don't have the time to make one… or the power. Swamped with work and sleep-deprived and all that crap. But don't worry, I will include it in the next update and it will be called 'Teach me Esther-sensei!' corner that will explain stuff about the Ein Sof verse.**

 **Meddlesome Guy: I thought a more serious take would be interesting, especially since the setting is so irresistibly interesting. I just hope this is good enough since I put so much time and planning for this story.**

 **The Last Kenpachi: It's not like it's something they must take. It depends on each of their opinion. Some might think that fighting for God as an exorcist is a sacred duty and they will take the vow for that reason while some might just ignore it altogether. Haruka definitely won't take it and Kaya didn't take it either. Haruka's not a virgin anyway.**

 **Guest: Who's Eddie?**


	16. File 16

**File 16: The Ripper**

-London, East End-

The street is getting foggy again, signs that the killer girl will appear anytime soon.

According to Irina's report, the girl and the thick fog seems to be related in some way. The girl uses the fog to hide and perform surprise attacks. He cannot let his guard down for even a moment or he will die.

Richard had suited up and even went home to retrieve is own black keys he hardly used, preferring to use his sacred gear to fight his enemies. But this time, he might need it to fight their current enemy that had proven to be impervious to most manner of attack, even one from an Excalibur fragment.

While there is no guarantee that his own keys will work since Irina's key that belonged to her brother is custom made, it's a risk that he would take. He just pray that it is one of the basic functions that managed to harm that wraith and not some kind of esoteric function limited only to her brother's key.

Richard checked his watch. It's nearing midnight, just around the time when Irina said they encountered the little girl. His sacred gear is active and ready and he's seconds away from drawing his keys. He could feel his tension rising. He knew he will encounter his opponent soon.

Up above on a building, the Ripper is watching him carefully. He is not one the people that fought her yesterday and he is certainly not Irina. The Ripper clutched her arm that had reformed, still feeling the lingering phantom pain from the damage Haruka's key dealt her. The Ripper grit her teeth, seething in anger.

"The bully that caus us pain is not here. But that person is the friend of that bully."

'Unforgivable. No more, we don't want any more pain.'

A black aura seems to surround her as various disembodied voices were heard talking to the Ripper. The Ripper nodded, acknowledging what she needed to do. Various eerie laughter belonging to children were heard as the Ripper disappear into the fog, ready to end the life of the Londond HQ chief.

The attack came without warning. The chief barely saw it coming. It is only years of experience and mastery of his sacred gear that allows him to survive the opening move by the Ripper. He barely saw the knife that intended to gut him and immediately use his sacred gear to form a defensive barrier.

The air began to ripple and finally form into water beside him in a split second that managed to stop the Ripper's blade. He had to make the water dense enough to be able to stop the Ripper's powerful lunge. The chief then take a good look of his attacker and managed to confirm that it is indeed the Ripper from Irina's description.

A bead of sweat ran down the chief's face as he command his water to explode. The water exploded but the Ripper is not harmed in any way, merely pushed back. Four orbs made out of water appear around him as he drew two black keys from his coat. Unlike those people who had mastered the use of black keys like Kaya and Haruka and could wield six of them at the same time, Richard is not as skilled in using that fighting style specialized for keys. He instead wield them like normal swords, one in each hands.

Seeing a weapon similar to the one that hurt her last night, the Ripper growled. Whips made out of water shot out from two orbs orbiting around him. The Ripper charged at him at incredible speed and the battle began.

* * *

Irina is sure she is going to get into so much trouble. She didn't tell her parents that she left to help the chief, and it will only get worse if she tell them that she's not even given the order to help the chief. While she technically had not been taken out of the mission, she's still essentially taking things into her own hand.

She's breaking protocol and she knew it… and she's still wondering why she had not turn around and head back home before she really got into trouble. She still has time and she knew it. If she turn around and then snuck back to her bed, everything will be just fine. Except, she didn't.

She left her home moments before the sun sets and head to London's East End. She grabbed a small bite on the way, knowing that this will be another long night and she'll need the energy. The fog then came right on time a few hours after sundown, just moments before she reached East End by foot.

It's just like yesterday, but this time it feels more ominous than it did yesterday. Like there is true malice in the air which did not exist before. Irina shivered. The air feels colder than before, thankfully her jacket is enough to keep her warm and she's wearing jeans insteadof skirt or else it would be a very unfcomfortable night. She kept herself alert. Excalibur Mimic ready in the shape of a simple silver bracelet on her right wrist.

While Excalibur Mimic can't harm that girl, it can still be used in several ways like to intercept and defend against the enemy attack. It's a good thing that her weapon can still physically interact with that girl even if it cannot cause meaningful damage. She could use Mimic to fight until she can find an opening to use the key to deliver a fatal blow. Unlike Excalibur Mimic that has its own supply of power, the key relies solely on her power to activate and maintain.

This makes Excalibur Mimic much more efficient to use as it primarily used its own energy to maintain its effects and only need her energy to trigger. But on the other hand, while keys are much more demanding in terms of energy, is is much more customizable as it can be imbued with multiple combinations of sacraments.

She could maintain the use of her brother's key for around fifteen to twenty minutes, but probably less than that if fatigue start to build up in a fight. Though apparently her brother's key is one of the most energy-demanding custom key around thanks to its large number of sacraments so it's understandable that she who is untrained in the more mystical side of combat couldn't use it for long. It takes years of building up magical reserve and fine control to freely use six keys at once without any substantial drain.

The first place Irina went to on search of the little girl, the Ripper, is where she first encountered her. Irina retraced her steps from yesterday to the alley. Thankfully, she knew London well enough to navigate through the thick fog with little problem. It took her only several minutes to reach the alley.

"The body had been moved. Was it the police or one of ours?"

Irina wondered. While the darkened bloodstain on the concrete wall and ground still remain, the body of the woman the Ripper killed the night before had been moved. And since there's no human figure drawn with chalk, it's safe to say that the body had been disposed by someone from the supernatural side. It could be them but London house not just the Church so she can't be sure who disposed of the body.

Irina began her search, though she actually has no idea where her target is and what she should do. That was when she heard the distinct sound of exploding water and clashing metal. It's still a distance away but she's sure the sound of splashing water came from the chief's sacred gear. She finally found him.

* * *

The battle was going well, or at least, it was moments ago.

Like Irina said, the Ripper does not seem to have skill in combat. There is no finesse in her technique, only raw power and speed which made things easy for Richard. His initial attack knocked the Ripper back and with his water whip, he bound her arms and legs. He then activated his keys and walk towards the Ripper.

That should've been the end of it. The incident should've ended the moment Richard stabs the Ripper in the heart with his keys. They worked as he heard the Ripper scream in pain when he stabbed the little girl. He felt lucky that what could affect the Ripper is a part of the basic composition of the black key. That stabbed should've finished the girl.

…but apparently it didn't.

"It hurts! It hurts! Unforgivable! Mean people should disappear!"

The Ripper's cry got louder as black miasma sip out from the hole in her chest where Richard stabbed her. The black miasma appear from all over her body and eventually cover her arms and legs. Suddenly, Richard felt his water's hold on her weaken. In the next instant, the water whip was destroyed.

'She's getting stronger?!'

Richard's eyes widened. The Ripper suddenly disappeared and appeared in front of him with her left hand pulled back, ready for a stab. He quickly form a water barrier in front of him, but it was immediately destroyed as it could not stop the strength behind the little girl's attack. It only managed to slow her for a split second, which is thankfully enough for Richard to ready his key.

He did not block it as he knew he would break his arms if he try to block so her parry the knife aside. The Ripper is ready for that though as suddenly she did a follow up kick. Richard saw it coming and hastily made another water barrier but again, the opponent's raw strength is too great.

His water barrier broke but at least it managed to soften the blow though the kick still send him skidding backward. Richard coughed out a bit of blood. That kick likely fractured his rib, though that is better than having his heart pulverized. He saw the Ripper about to continue her assault and quickly made multiple water whips from the four water sphere around him. This time he made them stronger, faster, sturdier, and sharper.

The water whips, or rather blades, lashes out at the Ripper. The Ripper managed to block several slashes and even shatter two of the whips but Richard just made more of them and concentrate on simply one job, take down the Ripper.

The Ripper is fast and strong, stronger than when she first appeared, but eventually she was sliced and diced by the numerous sharp water whips as there are just too many of them, losing most of her body. Like before, no blood or flesh was seen from her wounds, only black miasma appeared.

Richard dashed towards the Ripper who is still screaming in anger instead of pain. With a swift swing of his key, the Ripper's head was separated from her body and she dissolved into black mist.

With the Ripper dissolving into mist, Richard deactivate his sacred gear and keys. He fell on one knee and nurse his injured rib. But for now, it's over… or again, it should have.

"Chief!"

Richard heard Irina's voice and turn back to see the Ripper once again lunging at him. But Irina appear between him and the little girl with Excalibur Mimic turned into a tower shield. She got into crouching position and with both hands on the shield, took on the Ripper's attack directly.

The Ripper's attacked was repelled and Irina fell on her butt from the force of the attack but she didn't suffer anything worse than a sore arm. She then quickly turn Mimic into a pile bunker and launch the spike at the Ripper. The pile bunker extends much longer than it should be capable since it was made out off Excalibur Mimic but it did its job to keep the Ripper away, for now.

"Shidou? What are you doing here?!"

The chief demanded. Irina turned the pile bunker into a small shield on her left arm and look sheepishly at Richard.

"Umm, I'm trying to help?"

Irina replied, unsure that it's the right thing to answer, not that any other answer would get her out of being yelled at but at least she tried. The chief obviously looked displeased but he decided not to say anything as he knew that the Ripper is still around.

"We'll talk about this later."

The chief told her, making Irina gulp. He once again activated his sacred gear. The fight is not over yet. The two exorcists heard a growl from the fog and the Ripper appear once again but looking much more ominous with black aura flaring around her body.

"Uhh, chief, what did you do to… that thing? I don't think it's like that yesterday."

"RrrRRAAAaaaawwWWWrrr…"

"What in the name of God is this thing?"

The Ripper left, again much faster than before, and slammed into a barrier of water. Richard condense the water as much as possible and make it as thick as possible to the point that he decreased the number of water orbs he used for offense into two instead of his usual four.

The Ripper leapt backward andRichard send out the water blades he used to slice the Ripper earlier. This time the Ripper did not attempt to dodge and simply swung her knives at the blades without a care. The swings are wild and random but it gets the job done as his water blades are getting destroyed.

"This thing just keeps getting stronger each time whi kill it."

"Is there any way to stop it?"

Irina asked as she once again created a tower shield to defend against the Ripper's strike. She got pushed back and tanking the Ripper's powerful and extremely fast attacks is starting to take its toll on her body as unlike the chief, she's physically holding her shield.

The chief shot out a barrage that consists of hindreds of highly compressed water bullets. Although none could severely harm the Ripper, it managed to push the clearly insane thing back.

Irina use this chance to attack. She turn Mimic into a snake sword and send it out at the Ripper. She caught the insane berserker's right arm and had her snake sword wrap around it and with a pull, the arm was sliced in pieces with the injury leaking out black miasma. This thing is no living being after all.

She then turned the snake sword into a normal whip and wrap it around the Ripper's body. She then pulled the Ripper back towards her. The berserker brandished her left hand knife and once within striking distance, she swung her knife. Irina though intercepted it with another blade, her brother's key that she had just activated in her right hand. She spun to the right and behind her target and sliced the Ripper's head off once again and follow up with a thrust to where the heart would be.

A scream was heard… but ont one coming from the Ripper.

'Unforgivable! All adults should just die!'

Then the Ripper disappeared… and reappeared behind Irina as if she had never been killed.

Irina's quick reflex saved her as she turn around and had Mimic block the attack in the form of a kite shield. But like what the chief said, the Ripper simply gets stronger after each defeat and Irina could feel her bones cracking from blocking the attack. Fortunately, a water lance shot out and impale the Ripper before Irina's arm got fully broken.

"Shidou, are you alright?!"

The chief immediately rushed to her side with water orbs at the ready. Irina winced as she clutched her left arm.

"I think some of my bones are fractured. Thanks for the save, chief."

Irina then turn the Mimic into an armor for her right arm. With her left arm unusable unless she wanted to further the damage, the Excalibur fragment won't have any use as a defensive armamanet and would be better used to enhance her offensive power.

When the Ripper finally struck again, the two exorcists prepare themselves for another round… except this time, a new player arrived in the scene.

The sound of gunshot was heard three times and the Ripper screamed in pain. The Ripper turn angrily at the newcomer and lunged at him. Dr Jekyll merely sidestepped and perform a palm thrust and the Ripper was blown away.

"Well well well, what do we have here? Doing alright there Richard?"

Jekyll asked with a smug look.

"Henry. What are you doing here?

"Following the trace of Jack the Ripper of course!"

Jack the Ripper. Richard of course knew that name, even Irina who is not a native to England knew that name. It was the name of an infamous serial killer from the eighteen hundreds.

"That is the Ripper?!"

"Yup. Though it surprises me that the bastard is still alive, well, not alive perse but that's him, or her, or it alright."

Now it all clicks. The way the victims were killed did resemble how the Ripper victims died and it happens in London East End. The mist and everything now made much more sense. The only question is…

"How can the Ripper still be alive? No wait, that thing is not even alive so, a spirit?"

"If it is then it must be a very powerful evil spirit. A normal evil spirit shouldn't be capable of all this!"

Irina exclaimed. Richard nodded. While exorcist does not normally deal with spirits, those are for the Assembly members to handle, they did run into one occasionally. But this Ripper is much more different from the evil spirits they knew. Spirits usually possess people if they want to interact with the world and while their weapons don't affect them, it is mostly because their weapons simply pass through them… except for Excalibur Blessing and Black Keys. They have spirit exorcism properties.

But the Ripper seems different. It has its own body and the mist definitely came from it. It can interact with the world without possessing someone and while they should've exorcised it after a few strikes with the keys, it simply keeps coming back stronger. It is definitely not normal.

"It shouldn't be, but the Ripper seems different from the other spirits we've ever dealt with. I've been watching and normal spirits shouldn't have come back like that, at least not so fast after being struck by my bullets or your keys. We need to stop its movement so I can find out what the hell this thing is. Try to stop its movement so I can place a seal on it."

Richard nodded. Irina doesn't know who this Jekyll is but since the chief seems to know him and trust him enough to accept his plan, she would follow his lead. They don't have much choice anyway. Though it shouldn't be hard to get the Ripper into a trap as she, no, it doesn't seem to possess intelligence right now.

"Try to nail it with a key. It is the only weapon that can harm it. But try not to kill it or it will just reform."

Both exorcists nodded to Jekyl's instruction. At that moment, the Ripper reappeared from the fog, faster than before. Richard began to concentrate as he created numerous small water shields that began moving around. He still has two water orbs hovering just above his shoulders that began spamming water bullets. He began intercepting and keeping the Ripper's movement in check by controlling his water shields and barraging their opponent with water bullets.

The Ripper would crash into another shield and got pushed back and had to endure the water bullet barrage before charging and crashing again. Usually, this would've ended quickly but with the Ripper always instantly reviving and getting even stronger after every defeat and Richard starting to feel the fatigue of maintaining such defense and offense at the same time, he doubt he could last long, especially since he could feel that his shield is not only failing with each attack it took, his magical energy is also drained to a little below half.

One of his shield was broken through and the Ripper went straight for him. But Irina appeared between them and block the Ripper's attack with her key and right arm. Normally, she wouldn't be able to withstand the force of the Ripper's attack but thanks to her idea of coating her right arm in an armor made of Excalibur Mimic, she gained a boost in strength and managed to hold back the attack. She then kneed the Ripper on the chin and stabbed the berserker to the ground with the key.

The Ripper began to scream in pain again and try to get up. Irina leapt back as water began to gather around the Ripper's body. Irina then took out more keys, She exchanged the armor in her right arm to her left to at least mitigate further damage as she stabbed two keys into the Ripper's hands and then a last one to its legs.

"Henry, now!"

Richard yelled and a purple magic circle appear under the Ripper and three more appear above the berserker, stacking together and slam down onto the little monster's body, and the ripper went still.

"That won't hold it for long. Give me some time to analyze this thing."

Richard nodded, too tired to even argue and acknowledging that Jekyl's help is needed right now. Irina is a bit apprehensive in receiving help from someone who clearly uses pagan magic but since the chief is okay with it, she won't say anything. Plus Jekyl is helping them.

As Jekyl went to work on the sealed Ripper, Richard sat down on the nearby pavement, feeling rather tired. Irina followed him and sat beside her superior. He took out a box of cigarette and light it up.

"Uhh, chief…"

"I want a letter of apology along with explanation tomorrow at your earliest convenience, Shidou."

The chief told her in a stern tone that told her he will not tolerate any complaint.

"Yes sir."

Richard puffed out a ring of smoke before continuing.

"I guess technically you're not disobeying any order as I did not formally take you off the mission but try not to make this a habit Shidou."

"Yes sir. Umm, if I may ask, who is that man?"

Irina inquired, referring to Jekyll. She had been curious that the chief seems to know the man and even allow him to work with them and even follow the man's instruction. Richard then thought on how to explain this to her. He has no problem telling her as she is, in fact, one of his best exorcist despite her young age and they'll probably run into each other in the future.

"Henry huh? His full name is Henry Jekyll. He is a magician and archeologist belonging to one of the many organizations in UK. His can be said to be the fourth most influential supernatural faction in Great Britain."

"Really?"

The chief nodded.

"You will run into him eventually anyway as you go up the rank. His organization is called Prodigium, an organization that consists mostly of scholars. Not many notable fighters but they are good at research and containment. They are more like our own Assembly of Eight Sacraments. Jekyl is the head of the London HQ just like me for the church. We met a few times in the past."

The chief finished his explanation. The chief of another organization huh? While Irina is aware of the existence of other groups in the UK, she would be hard pressed to name them other than the top three which consists of the Church itself, the Pendragon family, and Golden Dawn. Again she realized how actually lacking her own knowledge is. It's strange how lately she's been finding out that she doesn't actually know as much as she think she does, whether it is about her own organization or the world around her.

They waited several more minutes in silence. The chief have finished one of his cancer stick, which he claimed is fine since the active magical energy running through their body and his sacred gear's minor cleansing property mitigate the lung damage caused by smoking, and awas about to lit another one when Jekyll finished his proding. He walked up to them and tossed Irina her brother's key. The younger shidou sibling caught it.

"That's a custom black key, right? I noticed only that one is different so I can guess you only have one of those. A custom key is hard to replace so I figured you wanted it back."

Irina nodded and muttered a thank you.

"So, what did you find out?"

Richard inquired. Jekyl's expression turned grim.

"We got a situation."

* * *

"Many people have forgotten but I still remember it. Back in the 19th century, London is not as nice as it is now. It's a struggle just to make a living and many people have been forced to work some more… questionable jobs. Back in those days, the number of prostitutes are quite high and unlike in this age, contraceptive means are pretty much non-existent."

Henry said as he lead the two exorcists down the road. He lead them to a manhole and open up the cover. He jumped down, followed by the two exorcists, into the massive London sewer system. Once they're down there, he rummage through his coat pocket and took out a flashlight to light up the dark sewers.

"That leads to a lot of pregnancies among the prostitutes back then. That is something they cannot afford to happen."

Dr. Jekyl took out his smartphone and opened up a map of the London sewer system. There is a red line and a red blip on the map which is where he will need to go. He had asked his people to locate a certain signal after examining the Ripper and they have pulled through for him and now he is leading the exorcists into the sewer to where they need to go.

"They can barely get by from their job selling their body, they cannot afford to raise a child. So what did they do? Abortion."

Jekyl heard Irina gasped. It must be hard to hear that for a young girl like her but that's just the reality of that time.

"So many abortions occurred during the course of the 19th century that it's not even funny. So many corpses of unborn babies would pile up that they all have to be disposed of by the dozens each day. I never got the actual number but it reached tens of thousands… and those aborted children's bodies were disposed in the Thames."

The doctor led them into a series of small, inconspicuous tunnels and even some that shouldn't exist. It seems that there are more secrets in London than even Irina knew, but the unsurprised look and the pace Richard kept even when going through these secret tunnels is telling.

"The Thames back then was dirty, unbelievably so. The pollution caused an outbreak of cholera and killed tens of thousands of people during that century. Terrible times those are. The air, ground, and water are all polluted making London more of a dump than a city. Anything can kill you. But anyway, those aborted children were dumped into the Thames. The pollution makes sure that their remains will rot and destroyed that they can't even be identified as bodies anymore. And tens of thousands of unborn children suffered that fate."

If Irina were someone of weaker will, she would've puked there and then. But being an exorcist made her see things. Not fun things and certainly not things a normal person could stomach. But it still made her sick just from hearing that.

"And so there they lie, their spirits all resenting their fate and their powerlessness. But, while alone none of those weak spirits can do anything, together, they are a force to be reckoned with. Thousands of spirits of aborted children held their resentment for decades and then, a terrible miracle happen. Like I said, one or even ten or a hundred of them won't make a difference, but in the ten thousands? That is bad news. Witht their accumulated number and shared hatred, they all join together to make up one being with one purpose, vengeance. The vengeful spirits of these aborted children merge together through their shared hatred and make up Jack the Ripper. And so the spirit took their vengeance in the form that serial killing we all know. After that, I don't know what happened but the Ripper disappeared. Probably losing their power or got exorcised, I'm not sure, but the Ripper just disappeared into obscurity… until tonight."

"How did the Ripper return anyway? Did they accumulate more grudges or…"

"Ohh this is not them acting on their grudge, at least not just that. If they appear by their own power, a simple exorcism or destroying their body by using my silver bullet dipped in holy water or using the black keys would've worked. But the Ripper kept coming back in an instant and much more powerful. That is not normal. So there must be an outside force that helped that thing become stronger. I detected it when I examined that amalgamation of souls."

They then reached a dead end. Irina wondered why they came to this dead end if Jekyll have a map. He should've known that this path leads to nothing. Henry then knocked on the brick wall and then pressed his hear onto the wall.

"It's here. Stand back."

The exorcists took a step back along with Jekyl. He thrust his hand forward and a magic circle appeared in front of the wall. A low powered explosion happened and the wall was blasted away, revealing another path that leads to a chamber. Inside the chamber, suspended in the air, is an ornate golden cup radiating an immense amount of power.

"So my suspicion is right. The Ripper's return is the work of an out-of-control Sephiroth Graal."

As if realizing their presence there, the grail pulsed and its power flares. The amount of power the berserk Longinus let out is incredible, surpassing anything they have ever encountered before.

"This… this is the power of a Longinus? The power that was said to be able to kill gods?"

Wraiths of all shapes and sizes wielding various kinds of weapons began to appear, blocking their path to the berserk sacred gear. Underneath the very grail itself, black miasma began to gather and two figures appear. One is the dreaded Jack the Ripper and the other is a very pale man with pale hair and black eyes wearing clothes fitting for a noble. Henry and Richard recognized his face from a picture of people to take note of. He is Marius Tepes, but his hair color and eyes are all different.

"These are…"

"The Sephiroth Graal raised some deads to protect it. But why is Marius Tepes here?"

"Riddles later. Let's get out of here. We're not ready to deal with this."

Richard said. Jekyll and Irina agreed with him. They have to retreat. They cannot face such number, especially with the Ripper there, and they are also currently injured and tired. For now, they need to head back and form a plan to take care of this matter. A berserk Longinus is very dangerous.

* * *

-Irina's bedroom-

Irina sat down on her bed, feeling very tired after everything that happened tonight. Her left arm now wrapped in a bandage applied by Jekyl when they got out of the sewers. Apparently he is a licensed doctor and it is his daytime job. He is also usually hired by Scotland Yard for autopsy.

That was quite an exciting night, and she's expected to report to the chief in the morning for a debriefing of tonight's events. After that, she's excused for the whole day to recover from her injury. She has some fractured bones in her left arm and strained muscles but nothing too severe that would require her to be bedridden.

She lie down on her bed, looking This up the ceiling. A Longinus of all things have appeared under London. This is new, and very worrying, but also exciting. is the first time she witness the power of a Longinus and it is awe-inspiring. She had never seen something possess so much power. The closest she had seen something so powerful was when Xenovia let Durandal run wild and even out of her control in order to cause major damage on a particularly large and hardy enemy but even then the power Xenovia released was inferior, although she had heard that Xenovia is far from mastering Durandal and could not really bring out more than a fraction of its power properly.

The ability to control spirit and raise the dead, the power of the Longinus Sephiroth Graal, it is frightening. But what is the Graal doing all the way here in London without a wielder? Again, she found herself having no idea about the things that happened.

Irina checked her clock. It's around three and the sky is still dark outside. Vatican has a one hour difference to London so it's around four there. Is her brother up? She really wanted to tell him about everything that happened. Deciding that yes, her brother must be up, she pick up her phone and contact her brother. If he doesn't answer, she'll call Esther.

Unknown to her, this single action will lead to a long overdue family reunion.

* * *

 **This is the longest file I've worked on for this story. Anyway, this covers the London side for a whole file where Irina, the chief, and Jekyll have their encounter with the Ripper and found out about the missing Graal. Irina called her brother and voila, the team will be visiting London to retrieve Valerie's Graal. That's the gist of it. The Misty London Arc is reaching its climax and next time there will be a big teamup to finish this arc. Just 2 more files or 3 if I'm pushing it and then it will be Kokabiel arc and the appearance of the other main team of this story.**

 **Anyway, I promised an Esther-sensei information corner in the last file but sorry, I haven't done it. Well, apart from laziness and working on other stories, I'm also not sure if anyone is even interested in such a corner and I don't want to add more work if no one is interested enough in the intricate details of the Ein Sof verse. If there are only one or two people interested it can be done through PM so I'll only make that corner if there are more than a dozen or two dozen people interested.**

 **Anyway, speaking of the other main team, which will include Issei, I have made a prequel story to this story featuring Issei as the main character. It's called Ein Sof ZERO: Heroes of Japan. It details Issei's middle school life and set mainly in japan. Features Tokyo Ravens and Nogi Wakaba wa Yuusha de aru characters and story elements. I hope those who like this story also check that one. Shidou Out**


	17. File 17

**File 17: AX in London**

Sleep is a luxury to exorcists, to some more than others but a luxury nonetheless. It depends on the condition of the territory they work in or what their job is. Exorcists usually have to deal with jet lag for the ones who travel a lot or insomnia with their chaotic sleeping schedule or even went several nights without sleep. That doesn't count always keeping themselves ready for action even in sleep because they have no shortage of enemy who wanted to kill them. As a result, exorcists are all light sleepers with a ton of sleeping problem, at least, the ones who are unfortunate enough to be assigned or living in a problematic territory.

The AX are no exception, well, maybe for the field agents. All the field agents are light sleeper. Asia, to her embarrassment, is the one who sleeps the most with little problem as she was never part of the exorcist program and have a perfectly scheduled life before joining the Special Operation Section, though with Valerie joining them, she's now the one who sleeps the most among them.

Because they are light sleepers, Haruka is already up when Irina called him. It's a pleasant surprise when he saw Irina's name in his phone. The call started well enough with a short exchange of pleasantries and speaking of their day. It's a normal conversation between siblings that Haruka misses. Haruka told her about his spar with Xenovia and then Xenovia's scouting by Kaya. Irina was surprised and also happy for her friend.

Irina also asked if eh gets along with Xenovia considering their history. Haruka replied by waving it off as ancient history and the girl is quite likeable now that they've talked. He'll also be seeing her a lot since she will be Kaya's personal apprentice and Kaya hangs around him a lot. Irina laughed… and suddenly stopped and there's a sound of her hissing in pain. That was when Haruka asked if she's injured in her mission or something. So Irina explained about the events with Jack the Ripper.

"Uhh wait a minute, what did you just say? You got what?!"

A fractured arm caused by fighting an enemy beyond her level which she admit she went searching for just to prove herself in a bout of stupidity. That is not the first thing Haruka wanted to hear about when he received his first call from his sister. Such recklessness is not like her and more like… well, himself.

'I'm fine. There is this man who is a doctor who helped me and the chief. His name is Jekyll.'

"The head of Prodigium huh? You mentioned Jack The Ripper. Of course he'll be involved. That is just the thing that would interest him."

Haruka remember the old doctor from his time training with his master. They went around a lot and met Jekyll around a year after he started training when they went to Scotland. Apparently the good doctor heard about the sightings of his master in Scotland and went to investigate and that's how they met. He gave Jekyl his first name only and he looked a bit different back then so he probably did not manage to connect Irina with him.

'You knew him?!'

Irina sounded surprised. Well, even if he had not met the man previously, he would know, or at least heard about him anyway. As a member of the Special Operation Section, he has to know important faces.

"Part of the job. Anyway, Jekyll helped you two deal with the Ripper?"

A simple 'yes' was heard from the other side and Irina continued talking, or more like whining about having to write an explanation to the chief. Haruka chuckled which probably earn him a pout from his sister and while he can't see it, he can imagine it clearly.

Irina continue telling her story and complain about the scary story Jekyl told, or rather a piece of London history, as he lead them down the sewer system. And then they found the source of all their problem.

"The Sephiroth Graal?"

'Yes. It turns out that Sephiroth Graal is the thing that revived the Ripper.'

"I see. Now that is troubling… and also a lucky coincidence."

Haruka's lips curled into a smile. It looks like Irina hit a jackpot. Without her last Graal, Valerie cannot recover to full strength. The other field agents are already on the lookout for the missing Graal. Sword Dancer's location is unknown but he is around mainland Europe, Tempest is around North America, and Tosca is around South Asia. He himself had went around to look for it but with no clue, it's like looking for a needle in a bunch of haystacks, though it seems that God have answered their prayer.

'Onii-sama?'

"Good work Irina. Thanks for the info. Ahh and I might be seeing you soon. It seems I'm getting a mission to London. Why don't we have a family reunion or something?"

'Haa… ehh? WHAT?!'

Haruka ended the call there and then. Irina he'll be sure to get Irina something nice for that information. Now he'll just have to inform the rest of the group about the good news. Valerie will be especially happy… probably. All he has to do is speak with Vasco and make retrieving the Grail a mission, not a hard thing to do. It's four forty in the morning, Vasco should be up already.

At five thirty in the morning Esther woke up to find Haruka already fully dressed with his coat and holy shroud and he came from the entrance, which alerted Esther that something is going on. Haruka in his off time usually wear just his vestment when it's still early and only put on his coat when he left. But he only wear full uniform which include his shroud when he's all about business or just got back from something, and to see him in full uniform early in the morning, returning, and without a drop of sweat or any thread out of place, means something is up.

She had wondered where he went when she didn't see him around. Haruka is the lightest sleeper out of the people currently in the HQ and would be the first to wake up and can usually be found doing something like reading, a warm up, or simply sitting in the lounge while checking the bar. It's still a surprise to her that an exorcist can be a qualified bartender, then again, their division is quite unusual.

"Pack your bags Esther and wake Valerie while you're at it. We're going to London."

"…what?"

* * *

It's not hard to request permission to head to London. AX is already on the lookout for the missing Graal anyway so once Vasco heard about the call he received from Irina, it's simply a matter of packing and leaving. Ohh and breakfast too, can't forget the most important meal of the day.

This will be designated as an escort and retrieval mission with Valerie as the escorted subject and the Sephiroth Graal as the item to retrieve. The mission should do as Esther's first mission. It's not terribly difficult but enough to challenge her and doesn't involve much sneaking around and there are plenty of help. It's ideal for a first mission.

They'll be leaving at nine by teleportation so they will arrive at eight in London. That gives the girls plenty of time to prepare and despite how suddenly Haruka dropped the news to Esther, she's excited for her first mission and is currently having breakfast with Valerie who is still a bit lethargic. As a dhampir, she's not exactly a morning person.

All he has to do is wait while the girls prepare, and with nothing better to do, he went to get some coffee. The streets are not as crowded as usual since it's only six forty in the morning but the moment he walked out of the HQ, he saw a familiar face that he had only seen yesterday. It is Xenovia and she appeared to have seen him too and wave at him.

"Ohh Haruka, good morning."

The blue haired exorcist walked up to him. She's dressed in her usual robe and battlesuit with her hood up. Her injuries from yesterday have mostly been healed thanks to Valerie but she should still feel some phantom pain for a while. Still, it's nice to see her already energetic so early in the morning.

They ended up getting coffee together, Haruka's treat. Haruka ordered a cappuccino while Xenovia, who can't seem to decide from how much she's staring at the menu, got a latte because she's taking too long. That was an embarassing moment to her which made Haruka internally chuckle.

"Two packets of sugar should do."

"Thank you."

Xenovia pour two packets of sugar to her coffee and began stirring. Haruka noticed that she kept staring at her latte strangely, like she's staring at something new. Probably because it is for her. Haruka knew the Agency enough to know how they raise their exorcists, especially those taken in by the church since they were young. It's halfway indoctrination that left the kids somewhat naïve to the world at large until they went out enough. God blessed him and Irina that they came from a, well, relatively normal family before becoming exorcists.

"Is something wrong?"

Xenovia shook her head.

"No. It's just, I've never had this is, coffee, right?"

She kept looking at her latte like it's a curious thing, like the liquid would suddenly move to attack her, and when she took a sip, her eyes went wide.

"Interesting taste. So this is what people call coffee?"

"You never had one before?"

"No. But I've had soda before."

Xenovia hold the mug with both hands and took another sip. Haruka could see her lips twitching upward, forming a small smile.

"It's warm."

Haruka is glad that Xenovia like it. At least this went better than with Asia. Her first time drinking coffee was in the HQ and it is the Professor's personal brew. It's so high with caffeine and so bitter that he bet it could even resurrect the dead! Come to think of it, all other 'first times' for Asia also ended up… well, troublesome would be the polite word. Her first alcohol from a few days ago came to mind.

"By the way, Haruka, you're in full uniform with your holy shroud so early in the morning. Are you going somewhere?"

The Durandal wielder asked out of curiosity when she noticed that he's fully uniformed. In the last few days she had seen him, he doesn't usually wear his shroud so it caught her attention. Haruka respond with an affirmative nod.

"I'm going out on a mission soon. I still have some time though."

"Hee? What kind of mission? We in the agency rarely heard about missions done by the other divisions."

"It's… classified."

Haruka answered with a playful grin as he flicked the girl on the forehead. She pouted while rubbing the place where Haruka flicked her, mumbling something about him being unfair.

"If you want stories about missions, you can ask Kaya."

"Haa…Lady Syokka huh? I still can't believe that she offered me a place in the Inquisitors. It is an honor to serve directly under the Pope. You are surprisingly close to Lady Syokka though. I'm surprised."

"It's nothing much. Kaya and I happen to join our respective group at the same time and we happen to met during our first day in service. Somehow one thing led to another and well, we became friends and somewhat rivals."

"…something like that can happen huh?"

"Don't you have someone like that, a rival or something?"

Xenovia shook her head and took another sip of her latte. She doesn't have someone like that. The exorcists she met are all either weaker than her or stronger than her. She never had someone who is a relative equal to her in her age group. Well, there are some like Irina and an exorcist named Nero who was transferred to the Chivalric Order last year but Irina is only equal to her in skill and, if she is being completely honest, not on her level when it comes to raw parameter.

She will not deny that she is a power idiot. By raw strength alone, she is the strongest in her age group. Her strength and her sword have always managed to allow her to close the gap in experience and skill between her and other exorcists. No one in her age group or even older exorcists sometimes could match her sheer destructive power.

The only ones who ever truly match her or put her down are sacred gear users or legendary weapon users or those whose skill are so far above her that her destructive power alone is not enough to stop them. The last category is mostly occupied by exorcists who have made a reputation as absolute powerhouses though, like Griselda Quarta.

She wonders how it feels like to have a rival you can constantly test yourself against and grow together with?

Xenovia then blinked when a certain memory came to her mind. A boy who kept challenging her even when she always beat him easily back in the past. It is a memory she had honestly forgotten but she somehow remembered, how he would glare at her even as she look down on him in arrogance back then before Griselda beat the meaning of humility into her.

Come to think of it, what has become of that boy? Griselda took her away for 'a year of special training to beat some humility into her' not long after her last match with that boy. When she came back, she never saw that boy anymore and assumed that he either died or gave up being an exorcist. She should pray for him if it is either one of those because it's likely she's the one in fault.

"You know, if you need a sparring partner around your level, I could always lend my own student. You might remember her. You've met her a few times before. She watched our spar yesterday. My student is the one with red hair."

"The red head from yesterday?"

Yes, Xenovia remember that apart from Kaya and the blonde who healed her there is one other person, a red headed exorcist with custom uniform. So she is Haruka's student? She must be something if Haruka is willing to train her. Powerful exorcists, especially those in elite forces, don't take apprentice easily. Hell, she still finds it hard to believe that the Head Inquisitor herself picked her as an apprentice! That's much more acknowledgement than she thought she deserve at the moment.

And if Esther is the student of the person Kaya Syokka acknowledge as her rival, then she should be at least at her level at minimum.

"I might be interested in fighting her."

Haruka smiled in delight. This would certainly help both Xenovia and Esther to increase their skill by pushing each other forward. While currently Haruka would admit that Esther is stronger thanks to her experience, Xenovia would be able to catch up with Kaya training her and when they are relatively equal, they could fight against each other. Maybe they could even make it a tag team match between the Special Operation Section and the Papal Inquisitors. It would certainly be fun.

The two of them then continue chatting about minor things, mostly about what Haruka himself thought she lacked during their bout yesterday and what training she should do to get stronger or what she should expect when Kaya finally started training her. For that last one, Haruka has no idea because she would be Kaya's first apprentice. The two talked for a while until Haruka noticed something.

"Ahh, there's Kaya looking for you."

Haruka suddenly said while pointing at a person coming from the direction of St. Peter's Cathedral. Like he said, it is Kaya in her usual black uniform. She is heading towards the direction of the Agency when she noticed them –she has good eyesight- and her path shifted towards them. The inquisitor entered the café and look at the two with raised eyebrow.

"Haruka, are you trying to steal my new recruit?"

She asked while narrowing her eyes in suspicion, though Haruka knew she's saying that as a joke. Haruka wanted to play along but decided not to and shook his head.

"Nah. We already got two new recruits barely trained. She's all yours."

Kaya felt a bit disappointed that he did not play along but that's fine. There are days like these too and since Haruka is in full uniform he's likely about to head out. Besides, she also has a matter to attend to and she only came to the café because said business involves the blue haired girl currently drinking coffee with her rival.

"Yes, that's good because I was just about to go meet with Griselda to discuss about your apprenticeship with me. She is your direct superior and legal guardian after all. I hope you remember about the meeting."

Xenovia stare at Kaya for a second before her sight immediately went towards a clock on a wall behind the café's counter. She paled while Kaya sighed, shaking her head while having a hand on her forehead.

"You're supposed to meet me in the agency at eight thirty. If I didn't see you here with Haruka, you would've forgot. I guess the first lesson I need to drill into you is about punctuality. I'm quite busy so let's go and get this over with."

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Kaya gestured at the blue haired exorcist to follow. She then wave lazily at Haruka as she left the café with Xenovia in tow. Before the Durandal wielder exited the establishment, she turn one last time to Haruka and say her farewell.

"I will see you around, Haruka!"

The older Shidou sibling chuckled before he remembered about Kaya's habit and what she said before. His head quickly whipped around and he saw the time indicated by the clock Xenovia saw before. The shorter needle is pointing slightly over the number eight while the longer needle is pointing at the number five. It's almost time for him to depart too!

Finishing his coffee quickly, Haruka ran out the café and towards the base. It's almost time for them to leave.

* * *

-London, Agency HQ, St Paul's Cathedral-

Irina let out a long sigh. While she didn't get chewed out by the chief, mostly because both of them are still injured and exhausted from last night's battle, she is expected to be on toilet cleaning duty at school for a total of sixty hours starting from the moment her arm recovered. Well, it could be worse. The chief is being lenient, mostly because despite everything, they got out of last night's situation without fatality and they now knew what the problem is, which is a big improvement, so the chief is in a rather good mood.

"Long night? You're fortunate he's in a good mood."

"Never thought you'd be the reckless one though."

Octavia and Brandon were there when Irina went to meet the chief for the debriefing. They are a team, somewhat, so the chief thought that the two have to know what stunt their Japanese friend had pulled last night, though Irina noticed that the chief did not mention anything about Doctor Jekyll in the debriefing even when he mentioned about the Sephiroth Graal.

"It just happens."

The trio who had just exited the chief's office which is located on the second floor of St Paul's Cathedral. They could hear a sermon being delivered by a pastor from their position near the upper level balcony. They have been givent he day off to recover, especially Irina, and now they have nothing to do for the whole day. Octavia is thinking about taking one of the odd jobs usually available like helping with charity work or a sermon since it's Sunday. While they are exorcists, it's not like they can't help with the normal jobs if they have the time. Irina herself is still a student and only work exorcist jobs full time during weekends or when called by Vatican.

The trio passed by several of ther fellow exorcists. Oddly enough, Irina felt like they were staring at her for a while before whispering to each other. Her two friends also noticed their fellow exorcists whispering and sometimes stealing glances at Irina, much to her puzzlement.

"Is it just me or the others are looking at me weirdly?"

Brandon and Octavia shrugged. They noticed but they have no idea why. It can't be about what they talked about with the chief though. It's only been a few minutes since the debriefing so news about what Irina's carelessness shouldn't have spread so quickly, though that couldn't be it since that kind of thing is not important enough to become a source of gossip. Even with the relaxed attitude of UK exorcists, they still have better things to gossip about than a fellow exorcist's punishment.

The trio was about to reach the end of the corridor where the door leading to the stair is located when said door opened and two female exorcists appeared. The first thing Octavia and Brandon note is that these two are definitely not UK exorcists. They could tell immediately because of how they dress. Unlike the usual white hooded robe that cover their whole body or the black bodysuit most female exorcists wore, they wear nun outfits with several modifications.

One has her black nun outfit hugging her figure perfectly as if to emphasize her curves with white crosses adorning her sleeves and there is an opening on the right side that shows her legs and her black combat boots. She also wore what they belive to be a white holy shroud as a small cape and veil.

The other wears pretty much the same nun outfit but has a much more modest design but with white frills on her sleeves and the edge of her skirt she also wear a holy shroud but different as hers is dark red with white edges that seems to be thicker than the shroud worn by her companion. She also wore it on her shoulder like a cape and unlike the plain white shroud of worn by her friend, this one has a white cross decorating the shroud.

These… these are elite exorcists. Holy shrouds are not given freely to just anyone and to be allowed to wear such customized uniform means they are meant to be distinguished. Octavia and Brandon dare bet that they came from Vatican.

Irina blinked. While a bit different, she felt that she had seen people who wore such clothing back in Vatican. So instead of staring at their uniform, she looked directly at their faces. One has blonde hair framing her pale, beautiful face that looks tired while the other has red hair that Irina found familiar. She squinted her eyes and look at them more closely, wanting to be sure.

"Esther?!"

Irina suddenly called out the name of the only red haired exorcist with custom uniform that she knew and her name is Esther Blanchett. The red haired agent recognized Irina immediately and gave her a warm smile and wave her hand. Then Irina turn to Esther's companion. If Irina recall, the blonde was introduced to her as Valerie Nightroad. Last she saw her though, the blonde was not part of the church. It must be a more recent decision. Octavia and Brandon looked surprise at Irina's sudden outburst and her recognition of the red haired elite exorcist's name.

"You knew them Irina?"

Octavia asked. Irina nodded and gave Esther a hug which Esther returns in kind.

"I knew them. They are part of a special force back in Vatican. They're my brother's colleagues. Speaking of which, why are you here? Do you have a mission here in London?"

Irina answered Octavia's question and ask some of her own to Esther. The red haired agent chuckled and released Irina from her hug.

"Yes, we do. It's about the Sephiroth Graal you found."

Irina was surprised that Esther knew about the Sephiroth Graal. How did… on second thought, she must've heard it from Haruka who she informed just hours ago. It is still surprising though. It's not even six hours since she told her brother about the Sephiroth Graal and these two are already here?

"So it is for business? There's no need for you to come though. We can handle it."

Irina argued, a bit miffed that they're going to take away their job from them, though having elite exorcists like them around would be handy but it's still a matter of pride. Esther though shook her head and then point at Valerie over her shoulder with her thumb.

"It's not just about that. Yes, we're taking that case from your hand but it's done more out of necessity. She's the wielder of Sephiroth Graal and we came here to find her missing grail."

Irina was surprised. The iwelder of Sephiroth Graal is here and it is Valerie? Her brother certainly didn't tell her that when he introduced Valerie to her. That changes everything though. If Valerie is the wielder of the Sephiroth Graal, then she has the right and obligation to deal with this problem they're having.

"We're here to speak with London HQ's chief. Can you lead us to his office?"

Esther politely requested. Irina nodded and turned to the opposite direction, back to where she came from earlier.

"Let's go. The chief is this way."

Esther smiled appreciatively and gave an acknowledging nod to Irina's friends as she follow the younger Shidou sibling to the chief's office. Valerie followed her from behind, walking silently as if wanting to avoid being noticed. It's not a long walk to the chief's office. Once they arrived at the front door, Irina knocked twice and the chief's voice told them to enter. Esther walked in first followed by Valerie but Irina decided to wait outside due to protocol as she is not part of the discussion about to happen unless told otherwise. Esther, knowing this, nodded to her and Irina closed the door.

Chief Richard Carlson look up from his paperwork to see the agents standing in front of his desk. Knowing that they are important guests from their looks alone, the chief put down his pen and gave them his full attention. Once they got his full attention, Esther handed him a letter.

"A letter, from Cardinal Strada."

The chief nodded. He opened it and read the contents.

It basically explain that the agents before him will be taking over the mission involving the Sephiroth Graal, explaining that one of them is the wielder of said Longinus and that the current Sephiroth Graal is a sub-species that came in the form of three grails and one went missing in a previous mission.

There is a stamped signature belonging to Cardinal Vasco Strada, a legendary man Richard himself had met only once before in passing. Other than the order to hand over the mission to the agents and explaining about the Graal, there are nothing else included in the letter. The stamp itself is official and Richard has no doubt that the letter is real.

"I understand. But before I fully hand over this mission to you two, may I see the proof that one of you really is the wielder of Sephiroth Graal?"

Richard requested. The two agents see nothing wrong with that request.

"As you wish chief. Valerie, if you will."

Esther requested. Valerie then hold houd her hand in front of her chest and something began to materialize starting from her palm. An ornate golden grail then appeared on her palm. Richard examined the object carefully. It fits with the description of Sephiroth Graal in their documents which means that she is indeed the wielder of Sephiroth Graal.

"I have read the letter and confirmed that you are indeed the wielder of Sephiroth Graal. From now on, the mission involving the Graal will be handed over to you two. If there is anything we can help with, just ask."

The chief told them. He is quite surprised when he read that they knew about the Graal and had dispatch a team to deal with it only hours after they found out about the Graal. The Catholic Church usually did not work so quickly. Well, that just means less work for him and less work is always welcomed.

"Thank you chief. We will keep that in mind. Have a good day."

Esther and Valerie bowed and left the chief's office. The chief picked up his pen once again and was about to continue his paperwork when he remembered something.

"I should tell Henry about this. The Catholics are not as tolerant of outsiders as we are."

As the agents exited the chief's office, they came face to face with Irina again. The younger Shidou sibling walked up to them and asked;

"So how did it go with the chief?"

"It went well. We simply handed Cardinal Strada's letter to him and confirm that Valerie is the wielder of Sephiroth Graal. We're now going to handle the mission."

Esther answered with a smile. Then she remembered something.

"Irina, can we go to your house now? There is… a surprise waiting for you."

Esther carefully requested to Irina who wonder why she seems to be careful with her words. But it didn't take more than a moment for it to click in her mind.

"Onii-sama."

Esther nodded once she saw that Irina had made her conclusion.

* * *

-Shidou residence-

While Esther and Valerie went to talk with the London HQ chief, Haruka had another thing to do. While his reason for letting them go by themselves is to give them experience, that is only partially true. Currently, the elder Shidou sibling is standing on the front door of a house he had not been in for a long time.

To be honest, he is very nervous and dare he say, frightened. He wondered how their reaction will be after all this time. Will his parents forgive him? Will they even remember him? It would be easier if Irina is around but she's probably in the HQ around this time and probably have met Esther and Valerie by now. After all, he had been standing in front of his old home for an hour, feeling very nervous.

Haruka took a deep breath. This is a long overdue reunion after all, one that should've happened at least two years ago, one he had been delaying due to his fear. He rang the doorbell twice and a voice came from the other side, telling him to wait a minute. The moment the door opened, there was surprised gasp as Haruka smiled wryly at the person who welcomed him.

"It's been a while, okaa-san."

It has been a while since he last set foot on the house he used to call his home, around seven eight to nine years perhaps? That is pretty much half his life. Half his life spent not seeing his parents even once with no news of his wellbeing. They must be very hurt. He was stupid. He was so focused on getting stronger and surpassing his own limits that he forgot about his friends and families. Well, he didn't have that many friends in the first place but he should've at least said something to his family.

He was lucky that he was not kicked out of the church in the first place and Cardinal Strada was willing to take him in after his training with his teacher which, if the higher ups other than the Cardinal knew what he learned, he would've been kicked out of Vatican faster than he can say amen.

"Okaa-san, I…"

Haruka did not manage to say anything else because at that very moment, his mother's palm struck his cheek hard. Haruka went silent. He knew he deserved that slap for what he did. He will not try to argue or justify what he did. He had honestly forgotten all about his family until after he finished his training and when he remembered, he was too afraid to say anything. He had finished his training two years ago, which means he could've informed them that he's fine or say something to asure them of his wellbeing, or at least find Irina so he could pass on a message or something.

But he didn't.

For two years, he did not have the courage to say anything to his family and now he just return home out of the blue due to the convenience of his current mission. He'd be lucky if all he got is a simple slap. What happened next though surprised him.

His mother enveloped him in a tight hug as she began to cry into his chest. Haruka smiled and return her hug. He really is a bad son. Irina is a much better child to them than he has ever been.

"Dear, who's that at the door?"

Haruka heard the voice of his father coming from the living room.

"Touji, come her quick! You need to see who has finally decided to come home!"

Shidou Touji raised an eyebrow at his wife's calling. Out of curiosity, he went to the front door to see who just came. When he saw Haruka, he stood speechless for a moment. He squinted his eyes and examine the young man down to the smalles detail. His hair color which is similar to his own, his eyes that looks similar to his wife's, that jawline he recognize whenever he would look into a mirror, it took him a bit longer but finally he recognized the young man who is currently hugging his wife and smiling at him as the son he had not seen for years.

"Hey, otou-san, I'm home."

The son awkwardly greeted his father. The father, in a manner he would only expect from his sister, ran to him and embraced him. He would've fell to the ground if it were not for his strong build.

"Y-you're finally home."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, otou-san, okaa-san. I…"

"Onii-sama!"

Haruka was again interrupted, this time by a high pitch scream from a familiar source coming from behind him. It looks like that his little sister is back. He was about to turn around and greet Irina when his little sister tackled him from behind, causing the whole family to tumble and fell onto the floor of the front porch.

"Group hug!"

Irina declared as she pull the whole family together into a group hug, making Touji and Haruka laugh at the youngest Shidou's antics. The mother can't help but smile as she also hugs her husband and children. For the first time in years, the Shidou family is finally complete once again.

* * *

 **To be honest, I would like to continue this file until at least the agents made their move but damn, as usual, Ein Sof has much longer files than all my other stories so I decided to cut this file here. So there will be 2 more files until this arc is finished and we can enter the Stolen Excalibur arc which means, Issei will finally make an appearance. I don't really have anything to say for this file though apart from showing Valerie's power at the end of the arc. Like my other versions of Valerie, she will have a different way of manifesting Sephiroth Graal's power. This time, her power will take themes from Trinity Blood and the clue is in her new name.**


	18. File 18

**File 18: Mission Start**

After the short family reunion, everyone gathered in the living room. Out of habit, Haruka became the one who served tea as the Shidou family and the Special Operation agents gather around the dining table. He still remembered what blend each of his family members like and with the skill akin to that of an experienced butler, Haruka made each of their tea to their respective preference.

Aya was honestly surprised that Haruka could make a good tea. When he was younger, he doesn't even have the patience to brew water or measure how much milk he put in his tea (he likes milk tea) but now Aya noticed that he knew how long exactly to boil the water and how to pour a good tea. That is only one of the smaller changes she saw in her son though. Haruka sat next to Esther who like him prefered her tea with milk.

"So Haruka, where have you been all this time?"

Touji bluntly asked his son as he took a sip of the tea he made. It's good, much to his surprise, since the last time he saw his son attempting to brew a tea or coffee –he can't remember which- it was terrible and simply lukewarm.

"Classified information, otou-san. I'm sorry but I really didn't have time to say anything to any of you until two years ago but… I didn't have the courage to say anything so I waited until now."

Haruka answered regrettably. Figured it would be classified information which actually told Touji himself a lot. Despite being an acknowledged airhead, he managed to live long enough as an exorcist to have a wife, a son, and a daughter and managed to retire from active duty, a chance not many of his fellow exorcist has. Beneath his exterior that made him similar to his daughter lie a sharp mind that helped him survive for so long.

The word 'classified information' itself told him enough that his son, until two years ago, had been doing something illegal that would either jeopardize the church, got him excommunicated, or executed. None of them sound pleasing. And his appearance told him a lot more story too. An irregular unit that handles things that the regular exorcist should or could not is his best guess. Whether his guess is correct or not doesn't matter to Touji. His son is involved deeply in something dangerous. That is the one absolute he knew.

Despite still smiling, Touji had managed to figure out a bit of information just from his son's words and appearance and Haruka knew that he had figured out some things. The father and son's eyes met for only a single moment but both had already come to an agreement to not mention anything that should not be mentioned for the duration of their meeting.

"I see. Well there's no helping it if it is classified information. Hmm, you've grown well son. I'm proud of you. So, who are these two lovely ladies with you? Should I expect grandchildren soon?"

Touji asked with a playfull tone but what he said made Irina spit out the tea she's sipping. Fortunately, nobody else was drinking when he said that but Esther's hand did pause halfway while carrying her cup and there might be a light blush forming on her cheek which immediately disappeared as she let out a sigh. Valerie's face turned red immediately though as well as Irina's while Haruka simply groaned. He knew his father enough to know that he's teasing him.

"Otou-san, they're nothing like that. They are my… juniors, so to say. This is their first mission and my job today is to supervise them."

"Ahh I see. Too bad. I thought you managed to get land yourself a girlfriend or two, ahahaha!"

Haruka muttered something that sounds like 'damn lecherous father' or something which Esther overheard since he is sitting directly beside her. She decided to ignore it. Valerie though is fidgeting uncomfortably while stealing glances at Haruka. Unlike Esther who could manage her emotion well, Valerie lacked contact with other people and she's still learning on how to interact properly. She's still nervous around other people and could easily be caught off guard like what happened. So far she has only fully opened up to Esther and maybe Haruka.

"Touji, you're making the girls uncomfortable! Try to control yourself!"

His wife scolded him sternly to which Touji smile sheepishly. Haruka lightly chuckled, actually missing his father's antics after years of not seeing him. Maybe he could tell them some stories about what he got into just to appease them but he need to make sure that it's not the highly classified things.

Also, he should probably avoid mentioning that he was actually near UK most of the time when he was under the radar. That would not end well for him.

"So how have you two been? Irina and I talked when we met back in Vatican but I didn't ask much."

"Ohh we're just fine. I might have retired from active service but life is still rather interesting. You would never believe what you would hear while working as a pastor. Why, just a week ago there was this young lady who asked me what the church's attitude to…"

"Touji."

His wife called his name sternly. The Shidou patriarch stopped before he could fully start his recollection of last week's sermon he delivered. Irina is madly blushing for some reason and Aya is glaring at Touji. Now Haruka is interested in hearing what it is. He'll make sure to hear it from his father when they're alone.

Now it's Aya's turn to speak with her son.

"Haruka, I don't know what happened to you and I won't ask if it is classified information. But know that I am happy to see you alive and safe and now you're back to us, even if it is only for a while."

"Thanks, okaa-san."

Aya then turn to the two junior agents and addressed them.

"I know there are things that all of you cannot say but please, take care of my son."

Aya sincerely requested. Valerie doesn't know how to respond. How can she take care of Haruka when it was her that is being taken care of by AX? Esther though understood the mother and smiled.

"It will be our pleasure, mrs Shidou."

The red haired agent's answer satisfied Aya.

"Now, since it's getting late, how about I start cooking dinner? You will stay for dinner, right?"

Haruka nodded, earning him a smile from his mother who happily skipped into the kitchen. Irina offered to help her since they now have more people eating with them than usual with the addition of Haruka and his fellow agents.

"Is it really fine? We don't want to impose…"

"It's fine. We have time and… we're not here simply for me to have a family reunion."

Haruka assured Esther. The red haired agent though decided to help the two female Shidou and left the table, leaving behind Haruka, Valerie and Touji. Velerie kept quiet though, still feeling nervous among people, especially those who do not know of her true nature as a dhampir.

Once Haruka heard his mom and the two girls getting busy in the kitchen his expression turn serious. Touji sighs when he saw his son becoming serious.

"I figured you came here not just to greet your parents. Unlike Irina, you're more practical and prefer efficiency."

Haruka nodded. While they haven't met in years, his father still knew what kind of person he is. While family reunion is the main reason why he decided to visit his parents, it is also because it is convenient.

"Well, you're not wrong."

Haruka admitted.

"The main reason is of course because I do want to meet you and okaa-san again but I also need Irina. She had encountered this… Ripper twice now and she knew the most about what is happening. So I figured we can spend some time while also obtaining information on the enemy this time."

"I see. Well, feel free to ask her. She is your sister after all so she'll be happy to help you."

"Thank you, otou-san."

There was a brief silence that lasts for several seconds between the father and son before Touji spoke again.

"… I'm surprised that you came backe as an elite exorcist. I won't ask for the details, I know the protocol, but still when you left, I never expected you to do so well with your temperament."

"Things happened and I got better. I'm sorry for disappearaing without a word but well, there are circumstances behind everything. Let's just say that if it were not for Cardinal Strada, I would've been excommunicated years ago."

Haruka admitted. His admittance earned him a frown from Touji but since he's not excommunicated it means the problem that would've led to his excommunication had been resolved, and is probably part of the thing he cannot tell them. Haruka then look past Touji's shoulder, his eyes caught something nostalgic. Touji saw his look and turn his head behind him.

He saw Haruka staring at a longsword about the size of a regular arming sword being displayed on the wall of the living room. It is a holy sword, one that had been in their family for some time now. It's been years since he last saw it and back then, while he knew that it is a holy sword, he didn't knew which one it is or if it is even a named one. Now though, he knew what sword it is.

"I never asked you about it before but, that's Hauteclere, right?"

Haruka inquired, pointing at the sword being displayed on the wall.

"Ahh, so you knew what it is now. Not many people would recognize it as it is not a particularly famous sword but yes, it is Hauteclere.

The agent got up and walked towards the sword. He stood in front of the sword's display, admiring the elegant design of the less known holy sword. He picked it up and swung the sword a few times before placing it back on its display.

"If you want it then it can be yours."

Haruka shook his head.

"Nah, while Hauteclere is a good weapon, it is not my kind of weapon. You're better off giving it to Irina if she ever got a promotion."

Touji chuckled. That's a good idea. It's been on his mind anyway, giving the sword to one of his children as a reward if they were ever to do well in their job as an exorcist. Obviously, Haruka is doing great if he's part of a special group but since he refused it, he'll give it to Irinaone of these days.

Haruka then continue walking around the living room. The house had not changed much from what he remembered. While there are new furnitures he had not seen before, there are still old stuffhe remembered from his short year in London and also things that they brought with them from their old house when they moved here. One such thing is a picture of their family from back when they were still in Japan. It feels nostalgic being home with his family again after so long.

The older Shidou sibling then saw another thing that caught his attention. It is a picture sitting on the table just under the TV. It is a picture of three children smiling. Two of them appear to be twins standing on each side of a brown haired boy. The taller of the twin is Haruka himself smiling lightly in amusement while standing on the left side of the frame a bit behind the other two boys… except, the other two are not really boys, at least one of them is not.

The shorter of the twin boys is actually Irina, his little sister. Now that he looked at the picture after all these years, Irina did indeed look a lot like him when they were children that if one does not compare their height with each other, it would be hard to tell who is who. She's too much of a tomboy back then.

And then there is the boy, Hyoudou Issei is his name. Even if it has been years, Haruka still remember the name of their childhood friend and of course, Irina's first crush. Haruka smiled as he looked at the photo. If her remembered it right, the photo was taken on the day they first met Issei. Both Irina and Issei had problems making friends back then and hit it off rather quickly once they met. Though that's probably a much too simplified version of the event, that's roughly how they met and got along so quickly.

"How nostalgic."

Touji smiled at his son as he reminisced about his childhood. That is until they heard Aya calling from the kitchen that dinner is ready. The father and son duo head back to the dining room to join the rest of the family and Esther. Unnoticed by them though, Valerie followed them whil having an envious look. The dhampir envied how Haruka has a good family. If only her family was like the Shidou is what Valerie is thinking as she join them at the dinner table.

* * *

"So, how long will you be staying in London?"

Touji asked after they all finished their dinner. Haruka checked the clock on the wall. It is around ten. They have some time but they are expected to move by midnight.

"Not for long. Or at least we are expected to finish the mission quickly. We are scheduled to leave by eight tomorrow morning."

Haruka replied, surprising Irina and Aya while Touji nodded in understanding.

"I see. So you cannot stay for long?"

"I'm sorry, otou-san, okaa-san, but that's just how it is."

Touji nodded in understanding and then turn to Aya.

"Dear, let's got to bed. I remember that I have an early morning sermon tomorrow."

Touji said to Aya. His wife looked at him with raised eyebrow until she saw that Touji is not smiling. Aya nodded and follow him upstairs to their room. Before she walk up though, she said one last thing to Haruka.

"Don't forget to call us from time to time."

"I will, okaa-san. Goodnight."

Haruka replied. Aya then left to follow Touji, leaving the agents with Irina.

"Right, now that that's settled, let's talk business shall we? Irina!"

"Yes, onii-sama?"

"Tell us what you can about the enemies we will likely face."

Irina nodded and began telling them about her experience with the Ripper starting from how the Ripper first appear, murdering women in the same manner as in the legend. Then came her first encounter. She told the agents how none of her attacks worked on the ripper and not even Excalibur Mimic worked until she finally tried using Haruka's key which finally managed to harm the Ripper and forced the spirit to retreat.

Then came her second encounter with the Ripper, this time while helping the chief. The second encounter went terribly because they found out that with each time being killed, the Ripper only return stronger. Irina was grateful that she was with the chief back then because if she's with her team, she's sure they would've been annihilated by the spirit.

Irina explained the Ripper's fighting pattern. It is rather simple as the spirit relies on simple attacks. What made it extremely dangerous is not its combat skill though but its ever increasing strength and the fog it hiding in. By this point, the strength and speed of the Ripper is on the level of an A-class stray devil.

And then there is the place where the Grail is located. The place is guarded by resurrected spirits and the Ripper itself could instantly teleport to the Grail's location like it could be summoned when needed.

All three AX agents listen to Irina carefully as she explained everything one by one, especially Esther and Valerie. This mission involves them the most after all. This will be Esther's first mission after all and the Grail they are going to retrieve belongs to Valerie. Once Irina finished her explanation, Haruka turn to Esther.

"Well, what do you think?"

He asked the red haired junior agent, allowing her to draw a conclusion by herself. Esther considered all the information she has in mind and began to think as she put a hand to her chin.

According to Irina, the Ripper can roughly be compared to an A-class stray in capability and could grow stronger with each defeat though that is only in terms of parameter. It has little combat skill and rely on brute force and surprise attacks. The underground catacomb is also filled with enemies that she will have to assume can respawn without limit until the Grail is reclaimed.

"Do we have a map of London's underground including the location of this catacomb?

Esther questioned as the gear in her head began moving. Haruka nodded and took out a tablet PC. He put on his communicator and call the Holy Maiden to ask for what Esther requested. After a minute, Haruka received the map data from Asia. Unfortunately, the catacomb is still a place newly discovered so they have no data on it.

Irina had to point where she came down from and trace her steps through the map. She finally point at a blank space that seemed to be a dead end. Thanks to Irina's cooperation, they now knew where the catacomb is located on the map. Esther then examine the map and nodded.

"Fighting through the army of spirits would be hard but not impossible. Haruka, you need to be our vanguard here because I don't know much about anti-spirit combat. The plan is simple. We will strike fast and hard. We will blitz them and get Valerie to the grail as fast as we can and have her get it under control. In this operation, speed is the key so we'll keep things simple. First we will power through the spirits with Haruka spearheading the assault. And then I will follow behind him with Valerie through the path he opened. Once Valerie had made contact with the grail, she will immediately put it under control. If it takes time then we'll have to protect her until she's done. Should this happen, Haruka will be the one to face the Ripper until we're done while I can stay behind and keep the rest off Valerie."

Haruka nodded in agreement. It's a simple and straightforward plan and he likes it. He has to agree with Esther that time is of the essence here so pulling this off as quickly as possible is the best option they have. While this meant less opportunity to test Esther, well, the mission is their priority, especially with the subject being a berserk Longinus.

There is a reason why these sacred gears are called Longinus and Haruka really don't want to see London being a necropolis due to the berserk grail. It is always a possibility with this particular Longinus' ability. Should it go berserk, destroying a city as large as London is a piece of cake. Such is the power of the sacred gear that had obtained the title 'Longinus'.

"It's a good plan and I agree that we must be quick with this job. Who knows what could happen if we leave a berserk Longinus for too long."

Alternatively though, there is also the chance of the berserk grail lashing out due to their interference, especially with Valerie's presence among them. But they need her to contain it. That is a risk they must take though. Not a particularly comforting thought but… risky operations are always like that. All they can do now is prepare as best as they could, which actually reminds him of something.

"Before we leave though, Esther, I will need your keys."

"My keys?"

Esther asked as she took out her keys. There are only six of them unlike Haruka and Kaya who carry dozens. This is because unlike them, Esther uses only one or two of them at a time so she doesn't need as much spare, especially because she doesn't throw them around much like Haruka and Kaya did.

"I'll perform a quick modification on them. It might become a bit more draining to use but since we'll actively be fighting a group of spirits, I need to increase the potency of its exorcism property."

The red haired agent nodded in understanding. True, they will need their weapons modified to fight spirits. It's best to be prepared before heading towards the battlefield. Haruka also handed her a vial of holy water and… some salt?

"Salt?"

"Fighting spirits is different from fighting devils. While it's not as effective in that form, it can serve well as distraction. It's kinda like throwing sand to your opponent's eyes to blind them."

Esther had thought that those are things only seen in TV but apparently salt and holy water works against spirits. This would be the first time she combat spirits instead of some tangible enemies so this is a new experience to her. But if enemies like these exist, who usually fought them?

"Ano…"

Irina suddenly spoke up, raising her hand. Everyone almost forgot that she is still there in the dining room with them. Nervously, Irina made a request.

"Can I join you in this operation?"

* * *

Meanwhile, Henry Jekyll is really not having the best day in his life. Just a few hours ago he received a call from chief Richard informing him that people from Vatican had come to take over the case concerning the Ripper, just as they had just found out that a berserk Sephiroth Graal is the cause of Jack the Ripper's revival.

He cannot make a move if Vatican had sent people to handle the case. While he had made a deal with Richard and the exorcists of London are rather lax, exorcists from Vatican are generally known to be more devoted to their duty while being extremely prejudiced to those not part of their religion. If he is found working on the case, they would shoot first and ask no questions.

To top it off, one of the people Vatican sent is the wielder of Sephiroth Graal itself. That would make it the second Longinus wielder that Vatican has, though that is just according to rumors.

He heard through the grapevine that the wielder of Zenith Tempest is an exorcist but he could never confirm that rumor. If the wielder of Zenith Tempest really is an exorcist then said wielder is likely part of the more elite or secretive organization if he hadn't heard anything from his contacts.

"I guess it's not just my day."

Jekyll grumbled. He could continue acting on his own but it's not worth the risk. There is no choice but to wait until the exorcists leave though that means it will be a missed opportunity. The doctor sighs.

"If only Victor is here and not all the way in America."

He mumbled while complaining about the absence of his friend.

"Having a rough day, doctor?"

A woman's voice addressed him. The doctor stopped walking and turned back. He saw the figure of a woman leaning on the wall of one of the buildings. She is a very beautiful woman with long purple hair and red eyes. Her outfit consists of a white turtleneck outfit and blue jeans and black heels. Jekyll had seen her before and was shocked to see her in London. Last he met her was in Scotland several years ago!

"You, why are you here?!"

Jekyll asked, or rather, demand. The woman smiled and walk up to Jekyll.

"Nothing much. I just happen to hear that my pupil is currently in London so I decided to visit."

The woman said. Now that Jekyll recalled, when he last met her, she was with a young boy who she had took in as a pupil. That had been a day filled with surprise for him. But the woman said that her pupil is currently in London. If he recall, her pupil is an Asian, a Japanese boy. He did not get a good look since when he found them, the boy was covered in mud and also in disguise but the name he gave is Japanese. If he recalled, the name was Haru-something.

"I see, your pupil is here. So, why are you talking to me now and not with him?"

Jekyll asked. If she dropped by to see her pupil then she should not be talking to him.

"He's busy at the moment so I decided to say hi to another acquaintance I have here. Besides, his big job tonight will be something that interests you. What do you say, want to see how he handles Jack the Ripper and the Grail?"

The woman asked with a smirk. Jekyll raised an eyebrow at that. Her pupil is handling Jack the Ripper tonight? But to his knowledge, the only people that will handle the Ripper and Grail case right now is…

"…well, that is unexpected."

* * *

 **A bit shorter than previous files but well, it is what it is. The next file will be the end of this arc and will possibly be much longer, though I still have the option of splitting the file into 2 files instead, which I hope I don't have to. So Haruka's master appeared in this file and will make a full appearance in the next file. It's not hard to guess who it is after all the hints I have dropped.**

 **Anyway, while previously I decided to have this arc replace the Riser arc, I have a change of plan and will make a short version of the Riser arc to introduce Issei's side to this story. And please, don't ask me if Issei will be a devil or not. If anyone here read Ein Sof Zero, the chances of that happening is less than zero. So yeah, next file we will get a glimpse of Issei's side and how Riser arc is handled in this version.**

 **Edited: 30/09/18**


	19. File 19

**Before we begin, I would like to say that I have made a change in a part of File 18 where the agents are planning the operation so check that out first before reading this one. Sorry for that. When I was first writing this chapter, I felt that there is something wrong so I went back to fix it.**

 **Edited: 13/10/2018**

 **Again, some minor adjustments in future plot had forced me to fix another chapter. This time though, I didn't delete anything much, just adding some things and changing only one minor detail.**

* * *

 **File 19: Longinus Disaster**

"Usually this kind of incident should be handled by the Assembly of Eight Sacraments. While they also work in artifact retrieval and investigations, they mainly specialize in combat against spirits. It's just not as well known fact to the ranks and files and tends to be forgotten by us combat exorcists because when we work with them, it is usually during artifact retrieval cases."

Haruka explained as the group walked through London led by Irina who knew where they should be headed. Not a few moments ago, Esther did ask the question about who usually handled incidents related to spirits because as far as she knows, exorcists are only trained against physical enemies like devils and vampires. Since it's as good an opportunity as any, Haruka decided to hold a small lecture while they head to the location.

"So the Assembly worked on these incidents?"

"Indeed. The Assembly actually consists of several different divisions apart from retrieval and keeping of holy relics like research and development as well as spirit exorcism. All of these are interconnected with one another. Assembly agents would retrieve relics and then pass them to the R&D division for research and through research of these relics, they develop our equipments. But relics don't just comprise of legendary or historical artifacts but also other items of spiritual significance such as cursed items belonging to a deceased person that can be found in everyday household. Items of spiritual significance are usually located in haunted places so Assembly members are all trained to be capable of handling spiritual entities. And since we have retrieved most of the well known spiritual items that corresponds with our religion, large expedition in search of artifacts had lessened and as of around one and a half century ago, our spirit exorcism department that was once part of the early Agency merged with the Assembly."

Haruka explained, though he is mostly just repeating what Woodsworth taught him when he first joined AX. It's incredible how much he didn't knew about their whole organization until he joined AX. There used to be a very large number of independent groups in the Church but through time the groups are all either disbanded or merged with another group to create a larger, more generalized organization.

"So originally, the spirit exorcism department was not part of the Assembly of Eight Sacrament?"

Haruka nodded.

"Yes. The present day Assembly had absorbed various non-combat divisions when we undergo a large restructurization some centuries back. The inner working of the Assembly is not as simple as what is usually taught to exorcists in general. You should visit their headquarters sometimes. It will be a great learning experience, on more ways than one."

Haruka muttered the last part. Esther and Irina felt like they had learned a lot of new things in the span of several minutes and realized that they actually know nothing about the more intricate inner working of the various organizations in the Church. It is an enlightening experience.

What he did not mention though is that the Assembly is as close to a heretical organization approved by the church as they can get. Retrieval of relics did not just include things related solely to the Christian religion after all. On top of that, retrieval of relics tend to be met with challenges in the form of magical traps. Assembly members learn how these magic works and even use it themselves in order to gain an edge.

When Haruka said it's a learning experience, he meant that the Assembly of Eight Sacrament would look more like a magical organization than a church organization, which is why they are the most secretive of the known church organizations. It is also why they are named 'Eight Sacrament' when there are only seven known Sacraments in the church.

"Here it is."

Irina said when they reached the manhole that would lead them down to the sewer near where the underground catacomb is. Haruka opened the lid and one by one, the exorcists jumped down into the sewers with Valerie jumping last and were caught by Haruka below. The Dhampir girl had recovered much of her strength but she is still weaker than she's supposed to be. Physically, she's comparable to an everyday teenage girl which might sound fine but when taking into account what their job description is it just means she is woefully inadequate.

Valerie will not be able to recover or develop beyond this point unless she retrieves her grail. Even the fact that she's actually walking and can even use a fraction of her power after essentially having part of her soul taken away is already an achievement in itself.

"We're close by. We need to go a bit further in and took a right on the first intersection and then…"

Irina is explaining about what path they will take when she was interrupted by Valerie walking slowly ahead of everyone. The air also grew colder and mist began to appear around them. It's not thick at all and is simply caused by the cold air but everyone became alerted at the sudden change in temperature.

"They are calling for me. I can hear them."

Valerie said in a low voice but loud enough for the rest to hear. The blonde dhampir start walking slowly with the rest following behind her, all weapons at the ready with Irina holding a shield made of Excalibur Mimic and a key hilt. Unlike Haruka and Esther who has a good amount of magical energy to spare, Irina's reserve is simply not big enough to support a constantly active custom black key.

The three exorcists follow the dhampir. Irina didn't even need to lead them because they know that Valerie is definitely being called by the Grail and it is leading her to it. If they follow her, they will find the grail. Haruka can hear it, the cry of tormented souls, the whispers of the dead. This is not the first time he had experienced this. This kind of thing happened in places where there is a high concentration of souls. It's eerie even for him who had experienced it before.

"I don't like this. It's like they are already waiting for us."

Esther said. She could feel the unnatural coldness through her clothes. She already summoned her sacred gear in her left hand while her right hand is ready to grab one of her keys. The only one visibly unarmed is Haruka but both Valerie and Esther knew how fast he could deploy his keys.

The quartet finally find the corridor that leads to the catacomb. The moment they entered the corridor, six keys slid out of Haruka's sleeves and to his hands. He did not activate them but he is ready for combat. They began to take up position with Haruka walking to the front and Esther going back until she's rearmost. Irina walked behind Haruka with shields at the ready while Valerie is positioned between Irina and Esther.

They reached the catacomb and saw the grail. The golden cup is hovering in the air with a height slightly above their head. The Longinus is pulsating with power and they could feel it, especially Valerie as she clutched her chest when she felt a strange feeling well up inside her, like the feeling of lost and yearning and a hint of hollowness.

"So you have come. I knew you would. After all, this is your missing grail so there is no way you would simply let it go."

Esther and Valerie was surprised when they heard a familiar voice speaking. Shadow began to gather and form a familiar figure right under the grail; a blonde young man with pale skin and a passing resemblance to Valerie. While Haruka and Irina said nothing and merely ready their weapon, a bullet of pure light shot out from behind them and struck the man, or it normally would've but it simply went through him without harming him as the part that was struck turned to mist and simply reform itself.

"You caught me off guard before, girl, but not this time."

Haruka did not need to look to know who made the shot but Irina did look back and saw Esther pointing her gun at the man. Her expression contorted into one of anger as her hand that brandished the rifle that shot the man trembles. It is an expression Irina thought she would never see on someone as polite and soft-spoken as Esther. Even she can conclude from this that these two have a history together.

"Marius Tepes!"

Esther screamed his name and shot him a few more times, each shot hitting him and blasting a chunk of his body, but not into blood. Marius simply stood calmly as his body that was shot by the girl simply turn to mist. There was a flash though after the sixth shot and the sound of steel piercing flesh. Marius blinked and looked down to his chest.

A blade was stabbed into his chest and he saw Esther finishing a throwing motion. The vampire did not manage to even speak before he fell to the ground dead with a black key stuck in his body. Esther calmed down when his body dissolved and her key fell clattering on the floor.

"That was new. So the church had made a weapon that could harm our mist form."

The familiar voice of Marius Tepes said as once again he materialized before them, surprising Esther and Irina but not so much to Valerie and Haruka.

"The resurrection power of the Graal huh? So you have claimed it as your own."

Haruka said as he ready he activated all his keys, ready to fight at a moment's notice. Marius chuckled in response but it sounds… odd. There is no confidence or arrogance in his voice, only… resignation?

"It would've been good if it is so but the Graal had gone out of control. If it were mine, do you really think that I will keep it in such a state in this place?

He has a point. Haruka had read a few things about Sephiroth Graal in the past and his teacher had fought one of its user before so he knew a few more things than what was written in documents. The Graal had indeed went berserk and in its current state, it revives indiscriminately. Marius' soul just happened to be around when it went berserk, likely because he was the last person to hold it before it happened. He is currently in a state similar to how Irina described the Ripper is.

"But don't worry, the grail will soon be ready and with you here, it will be completed soon. I would offer you to surrender to make things easier but I believe it will only be a waste of time. Now then, shall we?"

As if it were the command to start the battle, Haruka saw something fast coming straight at them. While Esther also noticed the attack coming straight towards Irina, she is not in a position to block and so he stood in front of Irina crossing his keys. He grunted as he felt the powerful force of Jack the Ripper's attack and if he had been any lesser exorcist, his defense would've been broken through and he would be dead. But Haruka immediately reinforce his body with magic and manage to weather the attack and pushed the Ripper back.

More spirits began to appear. Every fighter circle around Valerie covering each other's back. Seeing that her gun had not worked against Marius, Esther dismissed it and drew another pair of keys. As she activate the keys, she noticed that the blades are draining a bit more energy than usual from her. It must be due to the sacrament Haruka added to the keys to make its spiritual aspect stronger for this battle.

"Irina, stay close to Valerie and protect her. Esther and I will open a path for both of you."

Haruka whispered to his juniors and sister. While he cannot see them with his back facing them, the three girls nodded. Haruka began to analyze the battlefield. There are about… forty spirits in all but none of them are as dangerous as Marius and the Ripper. Actually, other than Marius and the Ripper, none of the souls look properly resurrected and are mere zombies. To his recollection, the Graal should've granted full and proper incarnation. Perhaps an unknown variable? A malfunction caused by its berserk state? He will think about it later. For now, it's time to do his job.

Three templar spirits attacked Haruka at the same time. He blocked their blades with his right hand keys and grinned. With only that exchange, he knew that these spirits are not in the same class as the Ripper. With near inhuman speed, he slashed at their body with the blades in his other hand. He didn't just stop there and spun, cutting more spirits without them even being able to do anything.

It appears that the human spirits are more or less as expected of a zombie. They try to swarm Haruka with little tactics and relying on sheer number. Their strength is comparable to ordinary soldiers but it is nothing Haruka cannot handle. It is actually a rather familiar situation, one that he frequently found himself in during his training and against much more powerful and dangerous spirits.

Haruka did not even need to make extravagant movements. He simply parried his opponents' weapon and then slash at them. None of the spirits, especially in their current state, could match him. It would've been even easier if he could use his runes but Irina is around though he actually considered using them anyway because, well, it is only Irina.

Besides, he has a few tricks of his own. Exorcising minor spirits is not hard, especially for him. While he don't know about Marius and the Ripper, he has a plan to clear off the more minor spirits. Thank heaven that they are not fully incarnated or this wouldn't have worked.

Suddenly, another powerful attack slammed his blades. The Ripper had attacked him again but this time he is prepared. The Ripper's attack didn't even make him budge and inch. Once again, he pushed the Ripper away but this time he also follow up with throwing three of his keys, stabbing the Ripper to a wall to immobilize the incarnated evil spirit for a moment.

He drew more keys with a flick of his hand but this time, he focus his magic on them. Runes began to appear on the blades, celtic runes. While Christian sacrament is more potent in spirit exorcism, it took time to set up and then there is the long chanting. While this won't be as effective as a sacrament, Haruka does possess a few tricks against spirits with his celtic magic. He only need to engrave the runes on his blades first. It will only take a while so he hope Esther and Irina can survive the onslaught of spirits until then.

* * *

Shidou Irina knew that she's in for a fight of her life when she followed her brother. She's actually surprised that she's even allowed to come with them though her role is mostly to stay close to Valerie and defend her. Apparently because she was missing a grail she is not in a good condition to fight and is physically no stronger than an ordinary untrained girl. Unfortunately, they need her to be the one to reach the grail so she could reclaim it.

Irina was surprised when they came to the catacomb and found it empty. When she last came, it was filled with various spirits of the dead along with Marius Tepes but when they arrived, they were welcomed only by Marius Tepes who her brother's juniors seems to have a history with. The vampire lord seems to have a history with Valerie, and Esther too if her reaction were anything to go by.

And then she found out that Marius couldn't die even with the arsenal they have.

Esther stabbed his heart with an enhanced black key and while the vampire lord did die, he was resurrected again by the grail. So as long as the grail exists, the vampire lord will not die. That is unfair, and all the more reason for her to help Valerie reclaim her grail.

Then the vampire lord gave the cue to attack. She never saw it coming but suddenly her brother was in front of her. He took a blow from the Ripper directly but he stood firm and pushed that evil spirit back. Irina was surprised… and amazed that he could take on the Ripper's attack like that. She had defended against that evil spirit several times before and the Ripper has enough power to break her bones and even break through the chief's defenses. But her brother could power through that evil spirit's attack without much problem! He managed to tank an attack that could break her bones!

And then the battle started.

As ordered, Irina kept close to Valerie who is presently unable to fight. Irina ready her kite shield made of Excalibur Mimic and use it to block sword strikes from the Templar spirits. She endured the attack and counter with a slash from the black key her brother gave her. Using one of them is fairly draining for someone with undeveloped magic reserve like her. She had relied mostly on Excalibur Mimic's stored power to use its abilities.

Whenever an attack came, she would move to where the attack is and use her shield to defend while moving Valerie behind her. She had not managed to kill (?) any enemies as she focus only on protecting Valerie. Not that many enemies could reach them anyway despite their larger number.

Esther and Haruka have shown their capability, Haruka especially, by keeping most enemies away from them. Haruka could take the spirits by the dozens and destroy them all with no problem. If it is only a matter of combat, they would've finished things quickly with Haruka making a sweep. The senior agent is just that powerful.

Esther focused on enemies that managed to get past Haruka either by luck or purposefully avoiding him. He only let those through because he knew Esther could handle them. And the red haired junior agent certainly could. Fighting a more controlled number of enemies, Esther focused more on defense and fatal counters that would beat the enemies in one blow like a strike to the heart or a beheading them.

She move fast and she strikes true. If Very few could get past her and while Irina could see that she is not actually used to using two swords, she did great. Her natural instinct and her quick response with her blades aided her greatly. Even without her sacred gear, which Irina knew is her main weapon, Esther is formidable.

"We're not going anywhere with this."

Esther said as she block another attack with her keys. She stabbed her attacker through the head, dissolving its spirit body, but she knew the spirit will return immediately. Irina blocked another attack with her shield and thrust out her key. Yes, at the rate they are going, they will get nowhere as they are barely getting closer to the grail. The Ripper also seem to have engaged Haruka again while Marius appear content to just watch.

"Yes. Do you have any plan on how to deal with this? Sooner or later, we'll get tired and start making mistakes."

Irina asked. Esther parry two swords and slash more spirits. While they could keep this up for a while, they will eventually get tired. They need to do something to clear the way to the grail. Esther try to think of something. If her sacred gear has anti-spirit property, she would've just blast her way through. Unfortunate she doesn't so they have to do this the hard way.

Suddenly, four black keys whistled through the air and stabbed four corners of the room. Bright light engulfed the entire catacomb and the spirits start to disappear. The Templar spirits all dissolve into the air as the light engulfed them and after half a minute, the whole room was cleared off spirits… except for two.

"Well, that was surprising. To think that you have such a trick in your sleeve, it is quite impressive, exorcist."

"Yes, impressive indeed."

Suddenly a new voice cut in, a distorted yet familiar voice coming from the grail. The grail shined brightly and when the glow dims, the exorcists were surprised. The grail had disappeared. In its place now stood a beautiful young woman with platinum blonde hair and crimson eyes. She has pale skin and sharp fangs protruding from her lips. She wore a beautiful black dress fit for a noble lady and in her hand is a red scythe that looks as if it was made of blood. She is no doubt a vampire, a powerful one as shadows began to move all around her as if responding to her presence.

But that was not what shocked the exorcists the most. It is the woman's appearance, her face, her features, it all resembles the young girl they are all protecting. She resembles Valerie Tepes. A gasp was heard coming from said girl. Irina and Esther's eyes widened, but Haruka's narrowed. To their surprise, Marius bowed to the woman.

"Welcome to the living world, milady."

The vampire lord charmingly greeted. The response he got was just a scoff from the woman.

"How nice of you, brother. I doubt you would've been so accommodating if I had turned out to be like the failure over there."

The woman gestured at Valerie who is trembling at the sight of herself looking so powerful and intimidating. The vampire lord raised his head and merely grinned.

"You were the one who decided to give me a new lease on life and retrieved my soul just as I died. You are the purest form of my sister, what she could've been, what she should've been."

The woman nodded and turned her attention towards the exorcists. One second she still stood beside Marius. But then suddenly he and Haruka were in front of Valerie in an instant. The AX agent's hands are crossed, his keys blocking a powerful slash from the woman's scythe. The agent grunted as he position himself to remain firmly grounded. It has been a while since he last had to block such a powerful attack.

Actually, that's not quite right. This is only a bit more powerful than that attack Xenovia had used to make him fall to his knee. This time he didn't because he did not only use body reinforcement but also a bit of his touki to enhance his strength. But it is still a powerful attack nonetheless.

At this moment, Haruka knew that he cannot hold back against her. Raising his touki to its maximum potency, he pushed the girl back. The vampire woman held her ground and suddenly blured away. She reappeared behind Haruka and swung her scythe. The agent quickly pivoted and raised his keys in a defensive move.

The scythe met the blades but neither would yield. With blinding speed, Haruka slashed down at the vampire girl with the keys in his other hand, sending her skidding backward. The ground burst from the force of his attack and cracks began to form on the floor of the catacomb and even parts of the wall.

Haruka dashed forward and struck at the vampire girl. This time, she managed to keep her feet firmly planted to the ground and sent a palm strike that Haruka managed to block it with his keys. The shockwave that resulted from her palm meeting his keys shows just how powerful that single strike is and Haruka took it without flinching.

The two then disappeared and various flashes were seen in random intervals all around the catacomb. Those flashes were the results of Haruka's keys clashing with the girl's scythe. It is a clash of two very high caliber fighters that not even Marius could follow their movements. It looks like they are matching each other for now.

What they didn't see though is that the vampire girl is actually beginning to try harder to match Haruka blow for blow. The exorcist is powerful, very powerful. His speed, strength, and reaction time are all beyond human level. His technique too is above her own, though that is not a surprise. He had been training his style for years while her skill is the result of absorbing and assimilating souls of dead knights from centuries ago.

The girl avoided a slash from the exorcist. But the wall behind her did not survive the exorcist's attack. Half the wall was blown to pieces by Haruka's slash empowered by the sigils on the hilt of his black keys. The exorcist turned again to deliver another attack at the vampire girl.

Haruka's keys suddenly glows with yellow aura and he gathered his power in each of his keys. He prepared a major attack that would obliterate the vampire girl. He dashed once again and was about to unleash his attack before his eyes widened and his hands slowed. His enhanced hearing heard something coming which reminded him where they actually are right now. If he unleashed so much power in this place right now...

The power in his keys disappear and he was forced to block instead when his split second hesitance allowed the girl to thrust her scythe at him, hard. The exorcist was sent flying to the wall hard, breaking one of them in the process.

Suddenly, something appeared and crashed into Haruka. It was a train, one of London's underground train passing by. Irina was horrified at the sight of her brother being hit by a train and was seemingly killed.

The vampire woman grinned and jump back to Marius' side. Jack the Ripper also appear beside her looking ready to fight. The loving pat on the little girl's head by the vampire woman appears to be the only thing that stayed the mass murderer's hand.

"As expected, the church did sent their best to retrieve the grail. But not good enough.

The exoricsts all look ready to fight, Esther especially because she knew that anyone that can beat match or even beat Haruka is dangerous.

"Who are you? Why do you look like Valerie?"

She asked. The woman seems to be the type to have loose lips and would monologue to them so she asked the question hoping to get some answers. She seems to be aware that they are coming and even expected Valerie to be with them. Really, with Longinus involved, she should've expected nothing short of total chaos.

"Can't you tell who I am, Esther Blanchett?"

Esther was surprised that the woman knew her name. This alerted her just as much as the woman's personal power because when someone knew what they're not supposed to know then it is proof that they are very dangerous. Then again, if she is talkative enough…

"I am Valerie Tepes, a vampire lady from the house of Tepes."

Esther heard Irina gasping, likely more out of surprise that Valerie is a vampire than anything else. She is the only one who didn't know after all, and the secret is out.

"You can't be Valerie! Valerie is right here with us!"

Esther argued but it only earned her an amused chuckle from Valerie Tepes.

"The one with you is Valerie Nightroad, not Valerie Tepes. Isn't that the name that Shidou gave her?"

How? How could she know that? It shouldn't be possible for her to know about Valerie's new name, let alone that he was the one who gave her that name. It couldn't be spies, could it? As if knowing what she's thinking about, the Tepes lady chuckled once again and spoke.

"Don't look so surprised. I am Valerie, and she is me. I know what she knows. But sadly, the connection didn't go both ways."

That is something new. So there is a connection between Valerie Tepes and Valerie Nightroad. Did Valerie betray them? But Tepes did say that the connection didn't go both ways and Valerie did look as shocked as them when she appeared.

"Now then, onto business. Hand over the rest of the grail please. I need them back."

The vampire lady said as she extends a hand to them.

"No, the grail belongs to Valerie and you are not her!"

Esther yelled. This woman is dangerous and malevolent unlike Valerie who is generally docile. Handing over a Longinus to someone like her is definitely bad news.

"I can make it worth your while you know?"

She replied, giving them, especially Esther, a flirtatious look. This made Esther pause and her expression contorted to one of disgust.

"I'm sorry but I'm not interested."

It's an obvious answer and even Tepes knew that since she doesn't seem bothered by it. She at least tried.

"It's a shame but not unexpected. No matter. This only means that we will have to do this the hard way."

Tepes' eyes flashed red as she stared into Valerie. Suddenly, Valerie felt something pulsing inside her. She drop to her knee as she clutch her chest in pain. Sweat ran down her body as some kind of energy burst out from her, the same also happen to Tepes with the only difference being she's not in pain.

"Valerie!"

Esther rushed to her side in concern. She then turn to Tepes with narrowed eyes.

"What did you do?!"

She demanded. The vampire lady smirked and points her scythe upward. A ball of energy gathered at the top of her scythe. She released the energy upward, blowing a hole through the ceiling. The energy blasted through the stones and dirt and to the surface. Once it made a sizable hole in the ground, it continue upward and towards the sky until suddenly it burst in midair. Down below, Tepes smirked as she started floating together with Marius and the Ripper.

"Now, since you won't be cooperating with me, I am forced to go with my plan B. Hand over the grail or London will become a necropolis by dawn. I'll be waiting for your decision."

Valerie Tepes then floated up the hole with her entourage. Esther can only watch as the vampire lady disappear, possibly to the surface. Things have escalated out of hand. Why is she not surprised at all? Then she remembered her run in with Walburga back in Romania. Yup, dealing with Longinus is really troublesome.

"Esther, what is happening? Why is that vampire claiming to be… just what is all this?!"

Irina who had been so surprised by everything shouted. Esther sighs. This will be a long night.

Up above on top of Big Ben sat Scathach. She had been using her scrying spell to watch Haruka and his entourage in action, and she saw everything that happened. She saw the light that Tepes shot to the sky and immediately knew what it is. The moment it bursts and spread throughout London, she knew that things will go from bad to worse.

Moments after the burst, she felt it. The whole London had grown much colder and mist settled all over the capital of England. Following that, many shades appear all over the city, especially from the Thames. Spirits of long dead people, many of them bearing powerful grudges, rose from their slumber. Jekyl who is watching together with her dropped his jaw at the sight.

London had just become a haunted town and if nothing is done to stop this spirit infestation, the city will become a necropolis before dawn.

* * *

 **I don't know how this came to be. Honestly, originally I didn't plan for there to be an evil Valerie but this somehow happens. So there's supposed to be lots of fighting here but evil Valerie, whose origin will be revealed in the next chapter since she is the villain in this arc, had derailed some of my original plans. Not that it's a bad thing but still. So now we have a berserk Longinus with a consciousness and body and we have a spirit-infested London. Next chapter will be the climax of this arc.**

 **Waffenmia: I'd rather give Durandal to the devils than make Xenovia a devil here.**

 **Edited on: 13/10/2018**

 **Sorry but I had to change some stuff to fit with the next chapter. Nothing much. I just added a bit more explanation about the Eight Sacrament that I forgot to add and the extended clash between Dark Valerie and Haruka as well as Haruka getting hit by a train and his lines during the confrontation with Dark Valerie being said by Esther.**


	20. File 20

**File 20: London In Chaos**

"This is bad, really bad."

Jekyll mumbled as he watch London became a ghost town, literally. He immediately fetched his phone to contact his people. They need to act quickly and deal with this. Covering up an incident this large will be a pain in the ass, that is, if they managed to survive this.

He looked up at the purple haired woman who is with him on top of the Big Ben. The red eyed woman narrowed her eyes and frowns at the sight. She had changed from her street chlothes into a black skintight outfit with pauldrons which is her normal battle attire. If Scathach is fighting with them, their chances of dealing with this would rise skyhigh, that is, if she decided to fight. So far she had not made any movement to help or hinder them.

"Sephiroth Graal. My student should've known better than to hold back against a Longinus."

Scathach muttered in a low voice but Jekyll could hear her clearly. He has to agree there. Underestimating a Longinus is not a good idea. When his call connects to his organization HQ, he began issuing order, mainly is the protection and evacuation of civilians. Unfortunately for him, there are very few people in his organization that specializes in handling spiritual problems.

"So, will you lend us a hand, Scathach?"

Jekyll asked. The godslayer spared him a single glance which told him everything. Jekyll sighs. Scathach won't be helping them and he won't even try to persuade her or even appeal to her moral senses. It's an exercise in futility. With nothing more to say, Jekyll jumped down from the Big Ben. He will be joining his men in defending London, or at least try as best as he can.

After Jekyll left, Scathach continue watching everything from the top of the tower. She saw exorcists and magicians fending off the spirits with all their capability, mobilizing every manpower they have. She scoffed. Futile efforts. Whatever they did are not effective. The opponent is Sephiroth Graal after all, anything less than the total destruction of the soul will not do anything.

"Now then, Haru, how will you deal with this?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight? Valerie is actually a dhampir who possess Sephiroth Graal that onii-sama kidnapped during a mission in Romania where you and onii-sama encountered Walburga of the Purple Flame who was trying to extract the Sephiroth Graal from Valerie?"

Irina summarized what Esther had told her about the Romania mission. Though of course she did not tell her things like that she was technically a stray exorcist at that time and that Haruka was under the guise of a magician and use pagan magic. All she told her is that they had a mission to find out why Walburga was in Romania and that they kidnapped Valerie to prevent Walburga from getting the Grail. It's not exactly a lie but she's stretching the truth a bit too much.

She didn't know the protocol for this kind of situation so Esther used her own judgement when Irina asked for an explanation about Valerie. Now after telling her the story, even if she did stretch the truth a bit, Irina is staring at her like she has two heads.

"…is she even allowed to be part of the church?"

Irina asked, not really knowing how to properly reply to the story which is just so wrong in her head.

"Exenuating circumstances I suppose."

"I have nowhere else to go. Besides, I'm a Longinus wielder. Dhampir or not, I am an asset and I am cooperative. Having a Longinus wielder on your side is a good idea, right?"

Valerie supplied. Irina stared at her for a while and sighs. Her head is spinning from what she had been told. A half vampire who possesses a Longinus is part of the church? Sure a Longinus is always an asset but really? Making a dark creature that they're supposed to hunt be a part of them? Well, she is half human and rather docile but she's not part of their faith! What was the higher ups thinking?!

Irina is actually thinking about bringing this up with her superior but this is something way above her authority, or even the chief. What's more, these people are affiliated with the Catholic sect which is beyond their jurisdiction and is legitimately under the command of a high-ranking cardinal if what her brother told her was correct. For now, she won't say anything for her brother's sake, the very brother she had only just got reacquainted with and now gone after he got hit by a train.

"…Ohh my god, onii-sama!"

Realization finally hit her that her brother is dead. The confrontation with Tepes and the truth about Valerie had distracted her for a moment but now that she remembered, she finally realized that her brother is gone. There is no way that a human can survive being hit by a train.

"Irina?"

Esther became worried when Irina stopped walking and looked deathly pale which she realized is due to thinking that her brother is dead. For her, it might seem that Haruka was killed but the reason why Esther and Valerie are not worried at the slightest is because they know he's not dead. They might've only known him for a short time but they know he is one tough bastard to kill.

"Hey Irina, I'm sure Haruka is still alive."

"But he got hit by a train! How could he survive that?!"

Irina screamed. Valerie rolled her eyes.

"If that was enough to kill him he would've been dead years ago. You could drop a building on him and he'll still find a way to survive."

Valerie said. Since her training schedule was pretty much nearly non-existent, she had spent most of her free time when she's not studying with Asia or Woodsworth to look at old records. One thing she learned after looking through the documents is that AX agents are tough cookies. Sword Dancer who is physically strongest could survive being hit by a bullet train and a building being brought down on him. Haruka who is the second physically strongest should be able to survive an ordinary train.

"He was also using touki to enhance his strength and I remember that touki would also enhance the user's durability. I'm sure he's fine and will join us soon. For now, we have to focus on our mission. That's what he would' want us to do."

There was confidence in their voice. Valerie and Esther truly believe that Haruka is fine. Irina doesn't know where they got that confidence from but it certainly lift up her spirit. That's right, Esther mentioned that Haruka possess touki. If she remembered some of her lesson, possessing touki would increase a person's physical capability to superhuman level. Her brother could've survived getting hit by a train if he has something like that.

When they finally reached the surface, spirits suddenly appeared and attacked them. Esther immediately drew her keys. She slashed at the spirits, both swords working in tandem with each other to perform their duty, exorcising them. Then she saw more coming towards them.

"This is bad."

She pulled both Irina and Valerie with her. Once they made a turn on a crossroad, Esther saw more spirits, templar knights in armors, marching down the street. She saw some of them about to enter several houses. She drew her knives and threw them at the spirits. The knives managed to exorcise them before theyt could enter but it turned the templar spirits' attention towards them.

Irina and Esther ready their keys and began to fight. The spirits this time doesn't appear to be as tough as the group they faced back in the underground catacomb. Esther, with some quick and well-placed slashes, could exorcise several of them at once. They are not as strong or as fast as their previous opponents. Even Irina could beat several of them at once, using a tower shield made from Excalibur Mimic for defense while relying on the key she has for offense.

But there doesn't seem to be an end to them. Even after eliminating them by dozens, Esther began to notice that the enemy number is not even thinning. In fact, there seems to be more and more spirits arriving. While individually they are no trouble and in a small group they are still manageable, Esther soon learned what made the spirits dangerous this time. It is their sheer number.

She saw them. Dozens of spirits began to converge on their position, pushing them back slowly. The spirits appear to attack mindlessly with no skill for whatever reason, but they don't need to. If they kept throwing their number at them, they would be defeated soon enough. At the rate they are coming, she and Irina will be overwhelmed in a minute.

Thankfully though, help arrived in the form of a wave of a wave of water crashing into the spirits, purifying them. The only thing that could do that is blessed holy water and the only one she knew that could control holy water in London is chief Richard. The man himself appeared from the other side of the street, calling the water back into four portable flasks engraved with glowing sigils attached to his belt. He is flanked by two exrocists. He then issued a command to the two exorcist and they left. Once they're gone, Richard walk towards them looking miffed.

"Chief Richard?!"

"Agent, what is happening here?! Where did all this soul came from?"

The chief asked in a nearly demanding tone due to the situation, gesturing with his arm, pointing at their surroundings which is now covered in thin mist caused by the cold presence of the spirits.

"I'm sorry chief. We were met with some unexpected situation during the retrieval of the Grail. The Grail is currently under the possession of an incarnated spirit and it is very powerful. My senior was defeated during their fight when he was caught off guard and the spirit did something to raise all this soul."

Esther explained as best as she could without revealing any sensitive information. The fact that she could do it so smoothly somewhat annoys though. The chief clicked his tongue in annoyance after hearing the simplified explanation.

"Damn Longinus. So what's the plan now?"

The chief asked. Esther thought for a bit. There is one answer that came to her mind, the only obvious answer. If they want to deal with this problem, they have to strike directly at the source.

"We need to find the spirit holding the grail and defeat it."

She said.

"…can you do it though? If your senior was defeated then can you say with confidence that you can beat it?"

The chief questioned with raised brows. He's right. He had seen how that fake Valerie fought with her scythe and the amount of raw magical power she possessed. If Haruka cannot beat Tepes then can she say that she can beat her? But as she look around her, she wryly smiled.

"I don't think defeat is an option here, chief."

Esther answered. He sighs. She's right after all. Too many lives are at stake so they have to do it anyway even if their chance of winning is low.

"I'm coming with you. You'll need all the help you can get."

Esther nodded and smiled appreciatively. The chief is a capable fighter and they do need all the help they can get. Now the only thing to do is locate Tepes.

* * *

"Ugh, that was terrible. Reminded me of the time Kaya knocked me out during our joint mission. Still can't remember why she knocked me out though."

Haruka muttered as he stumbled out the station still feeling dizzy from the impact with the train. He was lucky that his touki was active or he would've been killed. It took him a while to cast the spell to make the passengers forget about the incident. It's not the first time his battle had thrown him into a pack of civilians and he is sure that it won't be the last time either.

The agent slowly walked up the stairs leading out from the station, his headache slowly disappearing as with each step. Once he felt good enough, his pace started returning to normal. When he exited the station, he immediately noticed something wrong. He look around and noticed how cold the air is and there is something eerie about the mist. He rolled his eyes, feeling stupid for even wondering why he felt odd. There is probably spirits running around the city, likely that Ripper.

Just as he thought about that, he saw a massive horde of spirits approaching him from the left. He raised an eyebrow at this. There's a lot of them, more than he expected, likely close to a hundred. He drew one key and activate it. He then touched the surface of the blade, creating a sigil on the place he touched. He then pour more magic into the key, causing it to glow with yellow energy.

He swung the empowered black key once, sending a wave of powerful purifying light at the spirits. The purification property of the blast exorcised the spirits. The blast then disappeared before it could hit any building on its path. He doesn't want to cause more property damage than what he already had in his record. Once he completed his attack, the sigil on the blade disappeared and the blade showed a crack which was immediately repaired.

Deciding that he needed to know what happened, Haruka leapt onto one of the taller buildings he could find in his immediate vicinity. When he saw what is happening all around the city of London, one thing he could describe it as is frightening; so many spirits roaming the streets as if they own the city. He clenched his heart as images of a town appear in his mind. The fire and the screames and the corpses littering the street…

The agent shook his head. There's no time for that, not right now. He released his hold on his chest and once again looked all over the city, trying to piece together the situation. There are thousands of spirits flying about and walking the street, so many of them that the city looks like it will be overrun by the dead.

"This is bad, really bad."

Haruka muttered. If he let this goes on, forget about revealing the supernatural to the world, London, a capital city, will become a necropolis. He can already see various people related to the supernatural side scrambling to contain the spirit infestation but they are not having much luck. Fighting spirits require a different approach compared to fighting flesh and blood beings after all. Exorcists, despite their title, is not equipped to deal with spirits.

To handle spirits, an exorcist must possess the tool or ability to perform purification rite and then possess a sufficient enough holy element. This is the main difference between light and holy element; the ability to perform purification. Light element doesn't have this ability as it is, in nature, similar to element like fire and water and the like. It is a physical element. Holy element though is meant to reach deeper into the soul.

Even then, the holy element must be added with purification property to fully work. Holy element by themselves would only cause discomfort for spirits. It is with the addition of purification property that spirits were exorcised. This is why holy swords are not as effective despite having the holy element. Then again, most holy swords were made to fight against physical enemies. Only several were made for purification, such as Excalibur Blessing.

Against physical enemies like vampires and devils, the use of light element alone is enough. But in this case, they will need a strong holy element user with purifying ability. Asia would be good at this… Haruka filed that thought for later. She can be their spirit specialist.

"Tch, if only Kaya is here. She's good in dealing with things like these.

Haruka bit his nail in annoyance. Then he felt a holy presence getting closer to his position. He turn towards where the holy presence is down in the street. He saw a familiar person cutting spirits with a sword, a familiar longsword that he had just seen a few hours ago.

"Tou-san?!"

It is his own father, Shidou Touji, that he is seeing. The exorcist is wielding Hauteclere and with it he easily cut down the spirits attacking him. He looked tired and he is sweating heavily. He must've been fighting for a while, or maybe he's just not as fit as he used to be. Haruka noticed that he had gained a few pounds and his body was not as athletic as it used to be when they had their reunion.

There are hundreds of spirits chasing after him. They must've felt the danger Hauteclere posed on them and tried to eliminate him.

Haruka jumped down from the building and immediately rushed to his father's aid. He reapplied the sigil he used earlier and lunged at the spirits attacking his father. He stopped just in front of his father and purifying holy energy burst out from his blade in a spread shot fashion. He managed to clear out the spirits directly in front of them.

"You should work out some more."

Haruka quipped. Touji smiled as he try to catch his breath. He really is not as fit as he used to be, or maybe it's Hauteclere that's causing him to get tired easily. It is not his sword after all and it took some effort to make it work.

"Can I borrow that for a moment?"

Haruka asked, but he didn't even wait for an answer and just took Hauteclere from Touji's hand. Applying temporary sigil whenever he needed to make a wide area attack is tiring. Fortunately, Hauteclere is not one of those picky holy swords like Excalibur and Durandal. Of course, there still needs to be some form of compatibility to actually use it but Haruka got it covered. He has some minor weapon compatibility thanks to his training with Scathach and Hauteclere will only need a small 'convincing' for it to obey him.

With a proper weapon in hand even if he felt is heavier than it should be and is draining him a little bit, Haruka eliminated the rest of the spirits in three swings of Hauteclere. In his hands while being fed by his large reserve of magical energy, Hauteclere is much more potent than it was when wielded by Touji.

Once he's done, he turned to Touji and gave the sword back to him. Touji took Hauteclere from his hand and put it back in its sheath.

"Thanks for the help son but I think I would've been able to handle that by myself."

His father said to him.

"Ohh please, you're out of shape. You'd be six feet under if I hadn't saved you."

Haruka playfully replied. Touji chuckled.

"So, what happened? We have spirits running everywhere on the street, thousands of them."

"I don't know. I was indisposed in the last half hour. I got separated from the rest of the team. Something must've happened."

Haruka told him. The agent then rummaged through his pocket trying to find his phone. It's about time he called them. When he found it, he's not a happy person. The phone had been broken into pieces, likely from the impact with the train. He sighs.

"Can I borrow your phone?"

Haruka requested his father. Touji lend him his phone so he could call Irina.

* * *

Esther and her group had been running around London to find Tepes but so far they had no success. They don't know where she is and they didn't see anything that might indicate where their target is. It is frustrating. With so much ground to cover, they'll never find Tepes before the night ends.

The redhead's thought was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. Everyone turn to the source of the sound, Shidou Irina. The youngest Shidou wonder who could be calling her in such a situation. The caller ID reads 'Papa' which means it is Touji who is calling her. He is likely worried due to the situation.

"Yes papa?"

Irina said as he accepted the call. The voice that answered though did not belong to Touji but it is a voice she still recognized nonetheless.

'I'm too young to be a father you know.'

"Onii-sama?!"

Irina shouted in happiness when she heard her brother's voice coming from the other end. Esther and Valerie perked up when she mentioned her brother. As they have suspected, getting hit by a train won't kill Haruka.

"I thought you died!"

'Meh, not the first time I got hit by a train and probably won't be the last time either. Anyway, that aside, let's focus on the matter at hand. Set the phone to loudspeaker. I assume you're with Esther and Valerie, right? I need everyone to gather round. I have a plan.'

Irina complied and set her phone to loudspeaker mode. Everyone gathered around Irina as Haruka requested, though he likely didn't know about the chief participating. Chief Richard decided to inform him of his presence before they started though.

"Is this agent Blanchett's senior speaking? This is London branch's chief exorcist, Richard Carlson."

'The chief himself? Well, I suppose everyone is indeed mobilizing. Listen, Esther, Valerie, I'm about to do something big and I need you to join up with me. No doubt that our enemy will notice what I'm doing and attack me. I will need to focus on what I'm doing so I can't fight back. I need you all to guard me until I finish my preparation.'

Haruka said. A big move. It must be something very powerful if he needs their help to keep the enemy from attacking him. Esther and Valerie look at each other and nodded.

"Understood. Just tell us where to meet you."

'Okay. First off, where are you now?'

Haruka asked. Esther look around to see if she can find any signs that tells them what road it is. Unfortunately, there are none. Richard though knew where they are as he knew what London looks like by heart.

"Westminster. We're in Westminster."

Richard informed Haruka.

'Westminster huh? Okay, listen carefully. I'll tell you guys where to meet me.'

* * *

Haruka ended the call with his team the moment he was done telling them where to meet him. He is currently standing on top of a building. When he was making the call, he had also been looking for an ideal place to set up his spell. He had found one and is about to head there from the rooftops. He needed to go eastward, a bit further down the Thames. He look down to where his father is and yelled.

"Dad, thanks for lending me the phone!"

He told him. He then dropped the phone to his father, knowing that he'll be able to catch it thanks to his dexterity honed during his time as an active exorcist. Having returned the phone to his father, Haruka leapt onto another building, heading eastward.

Touji who was left behind could only watch as his son disappeared without telling him anything. He sighs. He gets the feeling that this will be typical of him; running around without telling his family anything. Well, he did tell him where Irina is but that's different. The boy seems to prefer to act alone. Not to say that he's a lone wolf but he tends to charge in alone, something that would get him killed one of these days.

Touji was about to leave, deciding to help his daughter if his son doesn't need his help. As he was about to walk away, he saw a man walking towards his direction. He recognized him. He is a leader of one of the magical organizations in London. His name is Henry Jekyll if he recalled. He had seen him a few times before when he was still an active exorcist.

"Well, it looks like I missed him."

Jekyl said to himself as he looked up to the roof, specifically, where Haruka was moments ago. He let out a long sigh and then turned to Touji who was wondering why he was looking for his son. When Jekyll saw him, the man's eyes flashed with recognition. Not surprising because Touji knew he possess some reputation locally when he was still an active exorcist.

"Well what do we have here? Touji Shidou."

"Henry Jekyll."

The two men called each other's name.

* * *

 **So, I originally meant for this to finish the Misty London arc but damn, I just have to cut it into two parts... again. Don't worry, this will really be the last. After all, only the battle is left and I will make the action all in one chapter. So next would be Esther's team vs Tepes. Unfortunately, Haruka won't get single combat action in this arc, which I don't know if it is good or not. So if I had not hinted enough, Haruka is Scathach's student and Scathach taught him some tricks and even gave him something nice, one that he will be using in this arc. Next chapter will close the Misty London arc and we will have the Interlude Yakitori arc featuring Issei, Kunou, and Akeno which if anyone here had read Ein Sof Zero would know that they are together in one team.**

 **Edited: 01/12/2018**

 **Sorry that I need to rewrite the last part because I met some problem with writing the next chapter. The original plan did not work well so I had to rewrite some parts... okay, a lot of parts in the next chapter. Good thing I only need to rewrite a very small bits here to connect it with the next chapter. Sorry but the next chapter will come out soon since I've taken care of this minor problem.**


	21. File 21

**File 21: Gate of Skye**

The first thing Irina did when they rendezvoused with Haruka is launching herself at him and pull him into a tight hug. Irina thought he had died when he was hit by that train and even if Esther and Valerie managed to calm her down, she was still worried until she heard his voice on the phone.

"Onii-sama, you're okay!"

The younger Shidou cried. Her brother returned the hug and ruffled her hair, making the girl pout for ruining her perfectly combed hair. The rest of the group followed behind her, letting the young girl have a short moment with her brother before they get down to business.

"It's just a train. I've been hit with worse."

Haruka said nonchalantly as if it were normal. For him it might as well be. His teacher can hit with speed and force equal to that of a train, even more actually. The moment he was deemed capable of handling such force without dying after he obtained his touki, his teacher got more serious with her strength.

She no longer held back as much as before during spars with his new durability enhanced by touki, going at a force that could actually break the bones of supernatural creatures, even nearly killing him too on several occasions. After experiencing those, being hit by a normal train is actually less painful. It actually feels no different than walking into a pole because he doesn't pay attention.

"So you are Blanchett's superior? I had imagined that you would be a bit… older."

Richard said as he walked up to him. Haruka chuckled. He doesn't feel offended since Richard said it with genuine surprise. Besides, it's true that he is actually younger than Esther. Not by much, but still younger. Richard though knew better than to judge capability based on age, especially since the moment he saw him, the chief could tell that Haruka is the real deal.

"Shidou Haruka. It's a pleasure to meet you, chief Richard Carlson, though I had hoped that it would be under better circumstances."

Haruka offered a handshake to the chief which he took. His grip is firm and his hand is rough with several calouses. It is the hand of a trained warrior.

"Shidou huh? I can see the resemblance. So you said you'll be doing something big and need protection. What is it that you're doing exactly?"

Richard asked. Haruka grinned mischievously, a look which Esther had only seen a few times during her training with him. It is one he usually has when he's about to do something she will positively not like.

"I am about to open the gate to the netherworld, chief."

He said to him cryptically, making him raise an eyebrow as he watch the young agent turn around. Haruka then walk up to Esther.

"Cover me as best as you can. I'll need about ten minutes to prepare. Once I cast my spell, I will need to maintain it for at least three to five minutes to clear the city."

Esther nodded and then asked.

"You will be casting a large scale spell then? Is it alright for you to do so openly?"

Esther asked while stealing a glance at Richard. Haruka got the hint. It is already dangerous enough that they reveal things to Irina so shouldn't he take care not to reveal more secrets, especially to Richard? After all, their group should remain a secret, or at least that's the impression she gets unless it's very wrong.

"It's not like I have much options. Large scale cleansing like this is kinda Dulio's specialty but since I'm the one available, I just have to risk it. Besides, it's not like we are an absolute black ops team for the church. We might be called the Vatican Special Operation Section but…"

"…our relation with the church is purely for convenience's sake. We do not necessarily follow the church's doctrine. It only appeared so because it was made to look so. But in reality, we do not answer to the church, we only make use of the resources."

Valerie added as she join in on the conversation. Haruka nodded.

"Yes. Remember what the Cardinal told you when you got recruited."

The senior agent said to Esther as he place a hand on her shoulder. With the pep talk done, he then jumped up to the sky, leacing Esther to mull over his words. The red haired agent then turned to Valerie.

"What was that about our real relation with the church?"

She inquired.

"I'm not exactly sure but it is what the Professor told me."

Valerie replied with a noncommittal shrug. The red haired agent sighs. There is more to their group than meets the eye it seems. But that is something she can inquire later with the Professor and Haruka. For now, they have a job to do and a city to save. Summoning her sacred gear, Esther prepare herself for combat. First thing first, she need to find a good position for shooting. One of the buildings should do.

After his small talk with Esther, Haruka ready himself to cast one of his greatest spell. Standing on top of a magic circle right over the heart of London, Shidou Haruka sighed. How did something so simple like relic retrieval could turn into this huge clusterfuck? Then again, he is dealing with a Longinus. Somehow that rationalization makes so much sense to him.

"Alright, I'm counting on you, Esther."

Haruka stood in place, closing his eyes as he focus on what he is doing next. The sigils on his holy shroud glowing while his cape and the tail of his coat flutter in the wind as a large amount of power began radiating off him. He will need to borrow his master's power to deal with the current situation. Scathach will be pissed at him but right now, he doesn't have that many options.

The magic circle under him slowly began to glow with celtic runes added to the formula. Just like Cu Cuhllain, the Irish Child of Light, Scathach also gifted him with a treasure. For the Child of Light, Scathach gifted him with the spear Gae Bolg which he used to carve his legend into the heart of many people. Haruka had half wished for him to get something like that. But instead, he was gifted with something else, a privilege which he doesn't know whether to feel grateful or apprehensive for.

While Cu Cuhllain received a weapon that he had come to master, the gift Scathach gave him is something he cannot hope to master. It is, in a way, a greater gift than Gae Bolg but it is also something that could potentially kill him if he doesn't use it with care. Because what Scathach gave him is something only she can control. It is the connection and the key to her realm, or in this case, a duplicate key to the gate that leads to her realm.

He focus on her essence inside of him, the bond they had established on that day he gifted him with both heaven and hell. What he is about to call only recognize Scathach as its master but Scathach had given to him a privilege greater than what she gave Setanta but at the same time something impractical as he cannot use it most of the time. But this spell, this 'key' is proof of the bond that they share. This is, above all else, is his greatest treasure.

"Let's get this started. Establishing connection."

* * *

Esther Blanchet is trying to control her breathing in an attempt to calm down her nerves.

Her first mission and things already became so complicated. She hopes that this is not an omen of what is to come during her time in the group. If all missions were as complicated as this, she'll probably have grey hair before she reach her forties at best.

What Haruka and Valerie mentioned earlier bothered her but right now is not the time to get distracted. She needs to focus. She has to guard Haruka until he finished his spell. The fate of all London depended on it. All members are in position to prepare for the enemy attack.

As a gunner, Esther had taken up position on top of a building a bit higher than the height in which Haruka is floating while Richard and Irina are down on the street. With her is Valerie who cannot fight but can act as a healer when needed as well as magic support.

Since their opponent is Tepes, she decided to use her sacred gear. She is not skilled enough to contend against her with just black keys. While she was worried that Tepes might possibly not be affected by weapons without exorcism property, Valerie had informed her that Tepes' body was real.

According to her, Tepes needs a solid vessel to move around and act in a controlled manner. Otherwise, she can't do anything other than causing spirits to go berserk and to use proxies like the Ripper.

That's right, the Ripper was made of an amalgamation of soul that possess similar nature bound together to make a new individual bonded by their similar will and nature. In this case, the soul of several thousands aborted children sleeping in the Thames. Valerie informed her of that on their way to meet up with Haruka. After informing Esther about that, she didn't say anything else about the Ripper.

Valerie's face when she spoke of the Ripper was very pale, as if she had looked at something very disturbing. Her extra sharp perception when it comes to soul thanks to Sephiroth Graal allowed her to see something they cannot see normally and what she saw disturbed her.

Speaking of Sephiroth Graal though, Esther was reminded that there is a connection between Tepes and Valerie. Esther's eyes widened and turn quickly towards Valerie. She had forgotten about that small fact and Haruka was not aware of it because he was taken out before they learn about this connection.

"Valerie, didn't you have that connection with the other you through your Graal? That means the enemy knew about our plan!"

Esther said to her fellow junior agent standing behind her. Valerie also realized this and her eyes widened. But she immediately close them and put a hand to her chin in deep thought. Once she opened her eyes once again, Valerie answered Esther's worry.

"That's true but I think it's fine. What we are tasked with is protecting Haruka so we are expecting an attack or two, especially from Tepes herself. We are not doing an ambush or a bluff, just a straight up defensive battle so there is nothing to keep quiet about. As for alerting the enemy of our location, what Haruka is doing makes him like a beacon of power anyway. The enemy must have felt his power by now and will come to stop him. Knowing what we discussed with Haruka won't make any difference in this situation."

What Valerie said makes sense. That is one less thing to worry about then. She was worried about the enemy getting a major advantage by knowing of their plan but if it makes little difference then it's all good. Then suddenly Valerie tensed and in whispered voice she spoke.

"They are here."

At the same time as Valerie's warning, a barrier made of water was erected in front of Haruka. The barrier bursts, drenching Haruka in water but stopped an attack aimed at him. Esther immediatately brandished her rifle and shot at where the attack was stopped by Richard as the chief himself rose to the air on top of a water platform.

The Ripper was blasted back by Esther's shot but otherwise remains undamaged. Richard, now fully prepared for battle against the Ripper, engaged the berserk amalgamation of spirits in battle with his holy water and black keys ready.

This will be an energy-intensive battle. His strength will be tested here and now, though to say that he has an easier time… won't be wrong. Drawing the blessed holy water from the container he carried on his waist, Richard has all the advantage in this battle.

Concentrating as best as he could, Richard multi-tasked between offense, defense, and movement. The blessed holy water is effective when used against the Ripper. While it takes time to make as he has to let his water be saturated with holy energy and then imbued with exorcism property in the container, it is worth it. He didn't let any single drop of water that comes from the container to be wasted, focusing them on offense while using his ordinary water for defense and as water platform.

Forming water blades using his blessed water, Richard slashed at the Ripper, creating a large gash on its torso that leaks black miasma. Now the berserk spirit set its eyes on him, just like he wanted. The Ripper charged again and he created a water wall to stop it. He then created a large wave of water and crashed it at the spirit, sending it far away from the area as he follows his target on his water platform.

"I'll take care of the Ripper. In the meantime, you take care of the other enemies."

The chief told them as he move to his own battlefield. Esther nodded. The Ripper is a strong opponent and will need at least one of them to occupy. The chief had experienced a battle against the Ripper. He is their best bet to keep the Ripper occupied. He created a water whip in his hand as he chase after his target, leaving them to deal with the others.

"The chief will be keeping the Ripper occupied. What we should be worried about next are Marius and Tepes."

The problem is, Esther is no match to Tepes in direct combat and with chief Richard occupied by the Ripper, she will have to face Tepes alone since Irina will have to keep Marius busy. One enemy each. On paper this is a fair situation. The problem is, the strength of their forces are not equal. The Ripper and Marius aside, Tepes is a competent fighter and Longinus user from what she saw during the brief clash between her and Haruka.

Esther knew what a Longinus could do, a rough idea at least. She had helped Haruka faced Walburga back in Romania and the magician could take on both of them without getting serious. Granted Haruka was also limited in his options but it shows that she is not ready to face a competent Longinus in combat. Only Haruka who is properly equipped can face Tepes head on. But unfortunately he is currently occupied.

Mist began to appear around the area. Both Esther and Valerie tensed as well as Irina down below. They knew that this is the sign that Tepes is arriving. They are sure it is Tepes. The overwhelming presence of power is proof enough. Marius does not have this kind of powerful presence. Irina gulped as she held Excalibur Mimic tightly in its shield form.

Tepes appear floating on the same level as Haruka around a hundred meters in front of him. Esther still find it hard to believe that Valerie has an evil twin, though Tepes has a much paler skin like a corpse's, scary blood red eyes, and protruding fangs that she didn't bother to hide… and why is her outfit now a loose black dress that reveals half her chest? A bold change in wardrobe.

"Haruka. I knew you're not so easily defeated. But this is perfect. You can't move right now so it will be easy to kill you."

Tepes said as she brandished her blood scythe.

"Do you think it will be that easy?"

Haruka challenged with a confident smirk. Tepes scoffed in response.

"Do you expect the other to stop me? Chief Richard is occupied by Jackie while Esther is not a match to me. But I'll admit that she can at least stop me in my track for a while."

Tepes said as she floated closer towards Haruka with confidence. Valerie began to open fire at Tepes who simply deflect her shots with her scythe. Her bullets are nothing against her, and Esther knew this for sure now. The red haired exorcist then changed the dial of her rifle and charge her shot to half bar. She pulled the trigger and unleash a sustained blast of magical energy. It is weaker and at a smaller scale than what she used in Romania but she's not aiming for mass destruction anyway.

Tepes easily dodged the attack. While the vampire knew she could tank the shot if she prepare a defense, it would damage her even if it is minimal damage. The charged shot of Esther's sacred gear is quite strong. Besides, she quite like her current dress so she doesn't want to ruin it after she had just acquired it. She then held the scythe with both hands and flew straight at Haruka with a bloodthirsty smile. Esther kept firing at the vampire but she deflected all her shots with her scythe.

Irina who is on the ground moved to try to attack Tepes. She took out her exorcist gun since it is the only method of long range combat she has. It won't damage Tepes but Irina hoped that it is enough to at least harass the vampire for Esther to make her shot.

Irina aimed the gun at Tepes but before she can pull the trigger, her instinct screamed at her of danger and she turned her gun to her left, just in time to shot a tendril of shadow that suddenly came out of nowhere. There stood Marius Tepes with tendrils of shadow moving around him.

"It seems that my opponent is you, the lesser Shidou."

Irina jumped back to avoid more shadows striking at her. Those that got too close were blocked with her shield. She tried shooting while defending at the same time. She was never a really good shot so it's hard for her to aim while moving about. The bullets that did get too close was stopped by Marius' shadow manipulation. The vampire didn't even look as if he's trying.

"Is that all?"

The vampire asked with a taunting grin. Her gun won't help her here so Irina threw it away. She changed Excalibur Mimic from a shield to a katana. She has to attack. Using Mimic, she cut through the shadows in front of her easily with her elemental advantage.

"That's better. Do try to not make me too bored."

Marius said as he send more shadows towards her, this time thicker and stronger. Irina held the katana-shaped Mimic with both hands as she slashed at the shadows attacking her, this time with more difficulty. He was holding back. Irina seethed in annoyance but she is also wary. She knew she is not as powerful as the agents and the chief. For her, Marius is an opponent she cannot underestimate.

Seeing that long range won't be effective, Esther switched her rifle to sword mode and reinforced all her limbs with magic. She had started getting the hang of it but it's not perfect yet. She just hopes that what she can currently do is enough to at least keep Tepes busy.

With a loud battle cry, Esther leapt over the ledge and straight at where Tepes would be according to her calculation. Just as Tepes was about to claim Haruka's life with a swing of her scythe, Esther slamed her blade down on the shaft of the scythe, making it miss as the attack was redirected downward.

Esther then let go of her sword and before gravity can take hold of her, she quickly drew a dagger from the holster on her hip to stab Tepes in the neck. Not wanting to take any chances, she activate the sigil on the blade and the vampire's head exploded in a blast of light energy, drenching Esther with blood and gore which also threw her down onto the street with a fractured arm while Tepes's headless body fell down not far from her.

Valerie who saw this immediately jumped down and landed with some difficulty. She went to heal Esther's arm as quickly as she can because she knew that Tepes will resurrect soon and will likely be angry. Once Esther's arm was healed, the red haired exorcist stood back up, wiping the bloodstain on her face and preparing herself since Tepes' body had risen from the ground with head regenerated.

"Even though I can resurrect, being killed like that was annoying. Alright, you have my attention now, Esther. You will not get another lucky shot."

Tepes said. Esther knew that she's right. What she managed to do before was a lucky shot. Tepes did not pay attention to her, thinking of her as just a minor nuisance. Now that she had managed to kill her once, Tepes will be taking her seriously from now on.

'Seven more minutes until Haruka's spell is ready.'

Esther mentally noted. She got herself ready. She's facing an opponent much faster and stronger than herself, no, above normal and even noble vampires in a head on fight. Her weapons can kill but her opponent won't stay dead… she's really not ready for this level of combat.

The red haired agent watch as Tepes twirls her scythe… and suddenly appeared right in front of her face. Esther was caught off guard as Tepes struck her abdomen with the top side of her scythe which is blunt. It looks like a casual thrust but Esther could feel her organs churning from the impact alone despite her reinforced body and the impact absorbtion feature of her combat uniform. She was sent skidding back, and only that because she stubbornly force her feet to remain firmly planted on the ground despite feeling as if all her muscles were torn just to keep her grounded.

She switched her sacred gear to rifle mode as she force herself to ignore the pain. Valerie who is behind her began healing her using Sephiroth Graal, alleviating some of the pain and repairing the damage. In rifle mode, she shot Tepes seven times in quick succession, all dodged and parried perfectly with inhuman ease.

Tepes then dashed forward at a speed no ordinary human can even hope to follow, slashing her scythe at Esther. The scythe was met with a black key Esther quickly draw with her left hand to block Tepes' attack. A drop of sweat appeared on her brow as she struggled to at least slow down the attack, her left hand bleeding to withstand the force of the swing.

The agent dropped the sacred gear in her right hand and drew out three more knives from her hip holster with her empty hand and threw it at Tepes as quickly as possible. The vampire jumped back and tried to deflect them with her scythe but the knives exploded, creating an explosion of fire and light that blinded her for a while. Esther resummoned her sacred gear and aimed it at Tepes.

A powerful beam of light came out of her rifle and hit Tepes straight on the chest. There was a brief scream of pain as the holy element sacred gear punch through the vampire's chest because she was not prepared for it. Vampires are weak against holy element. It seems that Tepes still retain that weakness. The vampire lady died for a second time with a burning hole on her chest… that she quickly recovered from using the Graal.

'Six minutes… and she's getting angry.'

"You're really persistent, aren't you? You know, I kinda like you, Esther. Without your and Haruka's intervention back in Romania, I wouldn't have existed. While Haruka is too dangerous for me to let live, I have all the intention to let you live. Don't make me kill you. Step aside and I will forgive you."

The regenerated Tepes said while looking straight at Esther in the eyes.

"You don't even know me!"

Esther replied.

"The other me is quite fond of you and Haruka. The least I can do as a favor for her before erasing her from existence is letting you live. Now, step aside."

The vampire said once again. There's a warning in her tone. She will not repeat her words once again. Esther gulped. Tepes had been holding back and if she doesn't step aside, she will not hold back this time and Esther knew she'll probably be killed. But…

'That talk bought us some time. Five minutes. Let's see how much longer I can last.'

Esther's answer is clear as she ready her rifle once again for another round. The vampire lady sighed. In truth, Tepes already knew what her answer would be. She knew Esther enough through Valerie to know what she's like. Tepes brandished her scythe once again.

The vampire suddenly disappeared from view. Esther barely managed to register the danger and put her sacred gear in front of her in a defensive stance when she was blown away by a powerful strike that sent her flying. The agent felt her hands straining from withstanding the impact. She's lucky that both her hands are still in one piece. That strike would've blown the arms of any ordinary humans.

Esther's instinct again warned her of another danger. The agent quickly turn around in midair and intercepted another attack by Tepes that sent her crashing into the ground. The agent coughed out blood as the impact caused some damage to her organs. Even if her body is reinforced with magic and her uniform could absorb impact, there's a limit to her durability, and Esther knew she's not as durable as the other field agents.

Ignoring the pain she's feeling on every part of her body, the agent quickly moved, rolling away just as Tepes came down slashing at her with the blood scythe. The agent got up to her feet and threw three more daggers. Tepes again intercept them and they explode. Like before, Esther summon her sacred gear and shot the vampire. This time though she did not manage to even scratch her as the blast was intercepted by the scythe and deflected to a nearby building.

Tepes retaliate with another quick slash. Esther hurriedly change her sacred gear to sword mode and intercept her slash but the difference in their physical strength proved to be great and Esther almost lost her head if she had not let go of her sacred gear to jump back. At least her block bought her enough time to evade.

The agent quickly pull out another set of daggers the moment her hand let go of her sacred gear and in the time it took Tepes to complete her swing, she threw them at the vampire's feet. The daggers exploded violently. If Tepes were a human, she wouldn've lost most of the lower part of her body. But since she's not one, Esther knew that the explosion would at most blew away half her leg, if it went well.

But as Esther half expected, the blast didn't do much to Tepes. The smoke and debris was blown away as Tepes dashed forward at great speed, but not as fast as before. Esther's attentive eyes caught sight of slight burn mark on her exposed leg. It has just finished healing but she did some damage at least, and that is enough.

With Tepes' currently decreased speed, Esther can still somewhat follow her movement unlike before. Straining her senses to the limit, Esther waited for the timing when the vampire swings her scythe down on her. Esther found the right timing when Tepes' scythe came down on her.

Scythe is a rather unwieldly weapon with how its blade is positioned, making it a very difficult weapon to master. So far, Tepes had done well in using it through the use of her speed and strength and what skill she managed to absorb from the souls she consumed. But she is no master. It takes longer for a scythe to complete a swing and reposition itself. With her previous speed, her speed is much greater compared to her own and her senses that the motion became a non-factor. But with Esther's last attack injuring her, even if temporarily, she became slow enough for Esther to follow.

She only has one chance for this. The red haired agent sidestepped the attack just as it came down. Even if she dodged it at the last second, she could still feel the power behind it. She would've been pulverized if she hadn't evaded. She quickly drew the last dagger from the holster on her left thigh and stab it right into Tepes' back just as the vampire landed, straining her very body to the limit to complete the motion quick enough to bury the blade into the vampire's body deep enough to cause immense pain to the vampire.

"Gha! Khh, Esther!"

Tepes screamed and force her body to turn around in anger mere moments after her scythe touched the ground. She redirect her scythe just as its tip stab into the ground. Creating a huge gash that sent dirt flying. Esther's eyes widened and immediately send the mental command for her dagger to explode even when she's still near. But it was too late.

The vampire's whole body painfully explode in a blast of fire and holy energy, sending chunks of flesh and gore all over the road and buildings. Esther was also blown away by the explosion and crashed into a flat. Valerie who had been watching the fight ran after the agent. She entered the flat to look for Esther.

To her horror, she found Esther lying against a wall heavily injured with Tepes' blood scythe embedded in her stomach. She is bleeding heavily and her uniform is torn in several places but thankfully still mostly intact, which is a silver lining Esther took considering her current condition. The agent coughed out blood, not even bothering to try taking the scythe out of her gut.

"Esther!"

Valerie cried out in worry and horror as she ran to the red haired agent's side. The last thing Esther thought of before she breathe her last is that fighting enemies who won't die when they are killed really sucks.

* * *

'Two and a half more minutes.'

Haruka thought in annoyance and anger. He had been watching Esther's fight with Tepes and he has to say that she is more than what he imagined. She killed Tepes three times before falling to the superior enemy. While he wouln't count the first time, Esther's second time killing Tepes had shown how good she is. Her third time killing Tepes is magnificent.

She had used everything she has in her disposal to take down a superior opponent. If she had had more training and more skills in her arsenal, she wouldn't have been so desperate. No, if Tepes is not the kind of opponent that won't stay dead, Esther would've won by now. Maybe a bit worse for wear but she would've won. But unfortunately they are fighting a strong user of Sephiroth Graal. Killing a competent user of Sephiroth Graal has always been difficult.

It was a mistake bringing her with him to get experience. If only he knew that this will happen, he would've asked Tosca instead. This is the kind of mission that requires two experienced agents. With her barriers, area defense, even against opponents of Tepes' caliber would be easy. Tempest would be preferable so that he doesn't even have to resort to this move in the first place but hindsight is 20-20 as they say.

'Dammit. I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Esther. I even had the idea of letting you take charge in this mission. But to think things would escalate this far, I should've known that dealing with a Longinus won't be easy. I'll treat you both to anything you want once this mission is over so Esther, Valerie, make sure you both make it out alive.'

Haruka promised to himself. While he knew that Esther had been fatally injured to the point of being killed, he knew there is still hope of her surviving. It all depends on whether Valerie know what to do. Besides, he has other things to worry about.

The senior agent look down on the reforming body of the vampire lady forming around the floating form of Sephiroth Graal. If Valerie had tried to retrieve the Graal at that moment then things might have ended by now but the moment Valerie saw Esther being blown away, she immediately ran to her friend's side, never noticing the Graal at all.

Haruka wouln't fault her for that. Worrying about one's friend is normal and Valerie had to move quickly if she wanted to save Esther anyway. Now it's just him and Tepes.

Once the vampire lady finished reforming, she shook her head, looking rather dizzy and disoriented. Must be the effect of the holy energy infused in the exploding daggers Esther wields. She is rather fond of those daggers and had been using them effectively in her battle. It is rather hard to make as he has to mix runecraft and sigils to make those exploding holy daggers. If it's just exploding daggers then he could make lots of them easily with runecraft but combining the sigils used by the church and his Celtic runecraft is rather tricky.

'I should talk with professor Woodsworth about making an explosive sigil. Also, two more minutes.'

The senior agent noted in the back of his head as Tepes look up to him with a smug grin.

"Your protegee had fallen, Haruka. Though I will admit that she is strong. If only she had stepped aside, or better yet, join me, then she would be alive and become something more."

Tepes said. There is genuine respect in how she spoke of Esther so it's not a lie when she said before that she's fond of Esther due to her connection with Valerie, which surprised Haruka since he's not aware of any connection. He was not ther when when Tepes revealed the connection but it's easy for him to put the pieces together. After all, the Sephiroth Graal they possess would make a stronge connection between them.

"You sound fond of her."

Haruka said to Tepes. The vampire smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I honestly am fond of her. But there are things that are just not meant to be. Now, prepare yourself. With no one interfering, I will have your head."

Tepes remade her blood scythe once again. She rose into the air until she's on the same level as Haruka. A sweat appear on the agent's brow as the vampire prepare herself for a swing. There is nothing and no one standing between her and him. One move, one swing is enough for her to kill him. Her aim is the neck. She will take his head off in one swing. A relatively quick and painless death. She will make sure that he won't feel a thing as she send him to Hades.

"…you know, if you're not as dangerous as you are, I would've thought about keeping you. You are quite cute after all. Hmm, maybe I should resurrect you into a vampire after I kill you? I'm not sure if I should though. Ohh well, it's nice knowing you, even if indirectly."

Tepes said with a sweet smile. Haruka does not fear death, but he really can't afford to fall here or else London will be turned into a necropolis. He is contemplating on cancelling the spell but he immediately shook away that thought. This spell taps directly into his soul, the very essence of his being, and serve to create a 'key' to a gift from his master. The reason why it takes so long to prepare is because it is a very delicate process to create this 'key'. If he stopped so close to completion, he would die and if 'it' does appear, then 'it' will be uncontrollable and likely kill everyone, including the unintended targets, and he'll still die in the process anyway

'This is really bad.'

This situation is pretty much him picking how he would die. Either through backlash from his own spell and potentially killing everyone with him or beheaded by a sexy vampire lady, which is… honestly not a bad way to die in other times.

The agent look left and right to see how the others are faring. He saw several bursts and jets of water in the corner of his vision which indicated where the battle between chief Richard and the Ripper are taking place but he couldn't find Irina anywhere though he bet his sister is still fighting Marius.

Haruka look at Tepes straight in the eyes. The vampire then moved at a blinding speed but his dynamic vision that is above most humans can still see her as if the world move in a slow motion. The scythe moved along with the vampire's hand and Haruka can't do anything to stop her. The scythe will reach his neck and he will die.

Tepes made the swing that will claim his life… but the blade never met his neck.

A red streak flew through the sky, flying in sharp angles, striking the vampire lady from the side, piercing her in the heart from. The vampire choke in her blood as her heart explode inside her body as red barbs pierce out from the point where the tip of the spear made contact with her heart.

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise as the spear flew along with Tepes' body through a building and crashed into a road in another block. Haruka recognized that red streak and that effect.

"Gae Bolg Alternative."

The agent whispered the name of the legendary spear that had saved him. He knew only one person is using that spear in this day and age. He had tried using it before but the spear did not respond to him and didn't acknowledge him as its wielder. It is another reason why he received this other 'gift' from his master after all. That means…

'Still a harsh teacher as usual, ehh, master Scathach?'

One more minute left. With the damage done to Tepes by that spear, she wouldn't recover in time to kill him. This is their victory.

'Thank you, Esther, master Scathach.'

He thanked the two people that had defended him in this battle. Just as one minute passed, he saw Tepes who had just recovered jumping onto the building that she had just been speared through. The vampire is holding her chest and looks to be in pain. The curse of Gae Bolg still affecting her even after resurrecting. She look up to him and saw him smirk. She knew what that meant.

"It's my win!"

Haruka declared. As he said so, the sky began to darken as black cloud gather above him in a swirl. The key has been made and the connection had been established. An enormous and ominous flying gate appear descend from the swirling black cloud. Many who saw it and recognize it, even those that did not, tremble in fear as this is a gate that would lead them to their death. The thick aura of darkness and death that came from the gate can be felt by anyone remotely sensitive to supernatural things. With its arrival, Haruka called out its name.

"GATE OF SKYE!"

* * *

Thanks to his preparation with the holy water of exorcism, Richard have been having an easier time keeping the Ripper occupied. His water could now deal very heavy damage to the Ripper. Each cut, each blast, even a minor splash now hurt the amalgamation of spirits heavily. He's not the best use of sigils though he is glad now that he bothered to learn. It has shown to be a useful skill.

The sigils are not really popular among the exorcists and people not affiliated with the Assembly. It resembles magic too much. When it first came to be several hundred years ago, the early practicioneers were accused of dabbling in pagan magic and was prosecuted if not for the timely intervention of an Angel.

Since then, the sigils have been integrated into the church military slowly like into their weapons and have been developing rather… well, he won't say smoothly because if compared to pagan magic practice, their sigils are not as well developed but it is developing, albeit rather slowly. Many of the more hardcore exorcist doesn't trust a skill that resembles magic.

'Around two more minutes. Things have been going well. But this is rather tedious.'

Richard thought. The fight against the Ripper have been going rather well. The Ripper is being handled easily this time around with his enhanced arsenal compared to the last time. His defenses have doubled in potency and his attack had doubled in lethality. If he was this prepared before, things would've been much easier.

The Ripper has been jumping all around, trying to break through his defenses. But if it were to meet his holy water shield, it would feel burned and had to retreat. As long as he respond in time to the Ripper's attacks with his holy water shield, then he will be fine.

The little killer tried to take him from behind this time and he call forth the water from his leftside tank he kept for defense. The killer screamed as it slam itself against the water shield. He then command the water to become a blade and the Ripper was sliced in half, screaming as it disappear.

The chief sighed. It would return soon enough thanks to the power of Sephiroth Graal. That Longinus is troublesome. Longinus in general is troublesome. Prodigium's Longinus user, the current Annihilation Maker, had taught him that. Sephiroth Graal had only reinforced that belief.

Speaking of Sephiroth Graal, his mind turn to the person who is supposed to be the current user of the Longinus. Valerie Nightroad is her name, according to their introduction. Based on the letter by Strada, her Longinus is a sub-species that takes the form of multiple grails. She lost one of her grail which weakened her and was sent together with her teammates to reclaim it. The Cardinal did not explain more than that in his letter.

Richard had suspected that there is more to the situation than meets the eye and well, now he knows. A part-human in the church of all thing. He had heard about some groups that specialize in the more… questionable aspects of their job. Only by rumors but it seems that there are some truth in it.

He won't say anything though. His life is already interesting enough as it is and if Valerie is under the command of Vasco Strada and the Catholic Church, then he won't say anything. It makes life easier. Plus Valerie herself doesn't even look threatening.

Richard wave is hand to the left. His water move to form another shield to block another attack from the reformed Ripper. This would be the… ninth time the Ripper returned. The Ripper is a simple opponent with the proper equipment and enough analysis but fighting something that won't die even after being killed is really troublesome. What was dead should've stayed dead. People die when they are killed for Heaven's sake!

The chief then blasted the Ripper away with a torrent of holy water. Just a bit more until Shidou is ready. He prepare himself for another assault when he noticed the sky is moving. He look up and see the cloud swirling in one point just above him. He then felt a powerful aura of darkness and death. His eyes widened when he saw a gate appearing from the dark clouds.

"T-this is… No, is this what Shidou meant?!"

Elsewhere, Shidou Irina who is panting while holding her injured shoulder also look up. Her fight against Marius had not gone well. She's not on a level that can take on a vampire lord, even a lesser one. If she had tried fighting Tepes, she would've died.

The girl also felt the air stirring and a feeling of dread welling up from inside her. She look up and gasped at the appearance of the enormous gate.

The Gate of Skye then opened.

* * *

 **Okay, this is one of my longest chapter yet. This is the first half of the climax for this arc where Haruka called out the Gate of Skye. He can't spam it though because unlike Scathach, he is not the King of the Land of Shadow. The Gate belongs to Scathach. He has the privelege to use it and one of its power that came with the ability to summon the gate is that he can enter the Land of Shadow from anywhere in the world and make a portal to it wherever he wanted, though only in a small scale. Think of him as a... Curator or Steward or a Regent to Scathach. Well, successor would've been closer but not quite since he is not Celtic.**

 **Originally, I had wanted to conclude things in this chapter but things became so long I had to cut it in half. The next one is really the last chapter of this arc and it will be fairly long too. Anyway, the action is mainly with Esther vs Tepes and I have to say that I'm satisfied with how I write Esther. Don't worry, she'll live. We have Valerie there. I have to say that the fight is rather brutal though. I mean, Tepes had her head blown up and then have her body blown up and then skewered by Gae Bolg. Not really nice ways to die. Apart from these, I have nothing else to say. If there is anything anyone want to ask about the story just PM me.**

 **Perseus Ruby Sendou: Well, Rias is not even a heroine here so let's just see if Issei is willing to help her.**

 **FanNasuVerse93: Touki is a simple but powerful thing in DxD. I'm surprised I haven't seen it much around the fandom. In here though, there will be a number of people who utilize Touki. In the church alone, there will be 3 important recurring characters that uses it to varying degrees. Kaya has the weakest Touki among those three with Haruka being moderately powerful. Not on Sairaorg's level but good. Sword Dancer is the strongest Touki user in the church and he is the strongest close combat exorcist in the story. In the Shinto faction, we will also see several Touki user. 2 in particular will be very prominent. As for the Riser arc problem, you brought up some good points but well, I have things in mind. I hope it works.**


	22. File 22

**File 22: The Lady of Blood**

Sitting on top of Big Ben, Scathach watch as the gate to the Land of Shadow descended from the dark clouds. In this world, there is only two people that can call forth that gate. Herself and her 'regent'. It is a gift only she can bestow, a gift that has more meaning than just as a sign of the completion of his training.

She had had several students in the course of her very long life. Not many are as well-known as Setanta, the one who is eventually known as Cu Cuhllain, but they are all great warriors in their own right. And at the completion of their training, she always gave them weapons, and for those powerful enough, even the chance to take Gae Bolg.

Some could use Gae Bolg, some could not. For those that can't, she'll usually just craft them another weapon. Even if they are not as powerful as Gae Bolg, weapons crafted by her are still extremely powerful. But never once had she thought about gifting them with regency, and in extension, Gate of Skye.

Haruka is the first and likely will be the only one she gifted with Gate of Skye, a treasure much more powerful than Gae Bolg itself. Despite the difficulty in calling forth the Gate with only the regent key, making it very ineffective when used in combat, Scathach couldn't have given him a more powerful gift.

She remembered that the stubborn boy she taught had wanted to obtain Gae Bolg. She knew that he is not suited for that weapon and it won't accept him, she had checked early on unlike with the others. But knowing him, he will need to try it first before he is convinced Gae Bolg is really not for him. So when she prepared for the ritual that they would need to give him regency of the Land of Shadow, she let him try to use Gae Bolg. It didn't end well but at least the only ones killed are the beasts that resides in her realm.

But what followed was probably one of the best night Scathach had ever experienced in millenniums. In order for him to gain regency of the Land of Shadow, he first must gain a part of her essence and join it with his. It is a VERY intimate process and she had enjoyed it for all it's worth. That is not to say he didn't enjoy it too. She knew they both will never forget that moment forever. They had continued on for a whole day even after the ritual was done. Touki user does have a great amount of stamina.

"You have matured greatly, Haruka."

She smiled to herself. Her student is progressing nicely. He is always a driven one but had had problems with his temper from time to time and was rather self-centered. It's perhaps a good thing that he doesn't have a sacred gear or compatibility with a legendary weapon. He'd probably get it into his head in the future and it could get him killed. Then again, if he had any of those, he would never have come to her for training. It is because of his high potential but lack of sacred gear or legendary weapon that made him be sent her way.

What a brat he had been back then. She managed to tamper his less praiseworthy qualities but never did manage to completely beat it out of him. But it seems his time with AX had tampered him and forged him into a better individual. She'll just have to see his progress. It's time to see if he is ready.

Other than Setanta, Haruka is her most promising student. While her most famous student never came back, she knew Haruka will, and he will be the one to release her, to release them, from their curse, she is sure of it. After all, he already took the first step when he became regent and obtain the key to Dun Scaith. Soon it will be time for him to learn the secret to the Land of Shadow.

* * *

Richard watched as souls were being sucked in by the Gate of Skye. He has no doubt that the Gate was called by Shidou Haruka. It came from right above where he is and just on time after all.

There is an unconfirmed rumor several years ago that the Witch of Dun Scaith took on an apprentice after so long. It was an unconfirmed rumor he heard on the grapevine and since it only appeared sporadically with no confirmed source or proof, he dismissed it. But if that was true, then Shidou is undeniably that apprentice unless Scathach herself is here, and he doubts Scathach, even if she is here, would lend them a helping hand like this.

Shidou Haruka is Scathach's apprentice, there is no doubt about it. After all, the appearance of one of the Godslayer's most well-known symbol is the only proof he needs. The Gate that leads to the Land of Shadow. A place that not just anyone can enter and hope to survive, not even spirits.

The enormous Gate is sucking in every spirits in London without touching anything else. Even his opponent, the Ripper, is struggling to not get sucked in. But bit by bit, the Ripper's dark miasma is getting sucked into the Gate, lowering the Ripper's power. He only need to wait or simply attack and let the Ripper get sucked in.

But he didn't move. His mind is moving a mile a minute at the sight before him. It has been a chaotic day and now this? He knew that the debriefing of the whole incident will be a pain in the ass. Spirit outbreak, Sephiroth Graal, and now the apprentice of Scathach.

"The Gate of Skye. I never imagined that I would see it over London."

Richard heard a familiar gruff voice that he had come to know for a while. He turn to see Henry Jekyll casually walking up to him with a ciggerette in his mouth.

"Henry. So you're here."

The older man huffed.

"Of course I would. Where else would I be with London getting so messed up?"

Jekyll puffed out a cloud of smoke as if it is just a normal day. He then chuckled as he look up at the Gate. It is currently sucking in spirits by the dozens like a vacuum cleaner, though such opinion is best kept in one's head. Scathach and her apprentice wouldn't appreciate the comparison.

"So that is the Godslayer's apprentice. I wonder if she knew this would happen. She's here you know, in London."

Richard's eyes widened, looking at Jekyl in surprise when he heard what the old doctor said. The Godslayer is present here in London? Is she here for her apprentice?

"That aside, what are we going to do about this one?"

Jekyll asked as he gestured at the Ripper that is struggling to stay grounded. It's a good opportunity to eliminate the little killer. Just one simple attack to disrupt the Ripper's focus and it will be sucked in by the Gate. Before either of them could make a decision though, they heard a creaking sound from above.

Jekyll and Richard look up. The gate stopped sucking in more spirits and paused for a moment before it started disappearing into the clouds. Something had happened. Did the apprentice made a miscalculation or was he attacked? It's either of those because they know not all spirits have been sucked in.

The two adults turn back to the Ripper to see that it had stopped struggling against the Gate. It is weakened severely but it's not done yet. Richard sighed. He should've shot the Ripper or something instead of just gawking at the Gate. The two men prepare themselves for a fight as the Ripper drew its blades.

The Ripper attacked him again, weakened but still strong enough to fight. The amalgamation of spirits charged at them. Richard made a water shield to hold back the little killer. He felt the Ripper impacting his shield but not as strongly as before. Its movement is also not as fast as before. The Ripper had been weakened by the Gate.

Richard was about to counterattack with several blasts of pressurized water when three gunshots was heard and the Ripper was blown away. Jekyll is now seen holding a large caliber revolver with its muzzle smoking, having fired that three shots.

"Something went wrong. Go check the apprentice. I'd hate it if something happened to him and the Godslayer found out."

Richard considered what he said for a moment before nodding. A pissed off Godslayer is much more dangerous than the Ripper. Besides, with Jekyll here, he could trust him to deal with the Ripper. Some of his subordinates might complain about entrusting a fight to a non-exorcist but he had known Jekyll for a while. There's a reason why there are barely any clash between factions in London. With his next course of action decided, Richard flew away on a water platform.

The doctor sighed and open the gun's chamber, unloading the empty cartridge, replacing them with new ones. The Ripper stood up again and attacked before Jekyll could finish reloading. The diminuitive murderer lunged at him but Jekyll caught the Ripper's hand before the knife could reach his throat. There was a surprised look on the Ripper's face while Jekyll grinned ferally. His eyes turned yellow for a moment as he slammed the Ripper to the ground, hard. He then proceed to stomp the Ripper, burying the little monster into the concrete as he finished reloading.

The small killer quickly quickly flew out of the hole and became more enraged and charged at Jekyll once again. However, it is slower and weaker now after most of its essence had been sucked in by the Gate of Skye. That Gate is really deadly against spiritual beings, and because the Ripper is weakened, Jekyll could easily react to the little murderer's attack and side stepped it. Jekyll dodged several more attacks until he found an opening to counterattack.

Avoiding a slash at his chest, Jekyll kicked the Ripper hard enough to stop it in its track. He brandished his revolver and shot it in the face, blowing its head into chunks, or it would've been chunks if the Ripper was a living being. The Ripper died and disappear. But Jekyll knew that it's not over yet, and he is right as the mist around him suddenly became thicker.

"The old hiding in the mist trick ehh? Well then, let's get this over with."

Jekyll grinned as he prepare himself and his senses to find where the Ripper would attack from. He then moved just as the Ripper lunged at him. He managed to dodge the attack but he clicked his tongue. He had planned to counterattack but the timing was wrong. He would get the next one right.

The Ripper lunged again. But Jekyll saw it coming even earlier this time. He spun and grab the Ripper by the neck just as the spirit reached him. He then slammed his opponent to the ground hard and shot its hands, destroying them so it cannot hold its only weapons.

"Let's see if Victor's idea worked."

A magic circle appear over the gloved hand that held the Ripper's neck. The magic circle passed through his hand and the Ripper's body, finally expanding on the ground beneath both of them. As the magic activated, the Ripper began to scream and move around in his grip, even trying to bit Jekyll's hand if not for him noticing and use his other hand to hold down the killer's head. With the Ripper immobilized, he only have to wait until the spell is done.

* * *

Shidou Irina knew that she is in a pinch. Her attacks are barely working and she can't get close to her enemy. Excalibur Mimic had helped her last for so long against Marius who kept sending his shadows at her but she doesn't know how long that will last. She had never been in this situation before. Sure she had fought opponents as strong as Marius before but her holy sword have proven to be their bane and even if not, she never fought alone. Now though, she is facing an opponent who is not worried about her holy sword and she is fighting alone.

Having been empowered by the Sephiroth Graal, Marius became hard to take down. It's not that he became stronger as a fighter but his weakness was supplemented by the grail. Though even without the Grail's power, Irina doubted she could fight the vampire lord in single combat. She simply lack the power to beat such high level being by herself, especially without the elemental advantage.

Actually, if she think about it, this is the first time she faced a high class supernatural alone. Usually, if she were expected to encounter an opponent of this caliber, she would've been teamed up with Xenovia and more often than not, Xenovia would be the one to finish their enemy since she has the raw firepower to beat almost anything. She however does not and it shows.

Marius is smirking, not even taking her seriously, but she's being put on the defensive. She could not advance and she has no support. It's a stalemate, or at least she wanted to believe that it is at least a stalemate. That would mean that their battle is going nowhere because they are equal. Sadly, Irina knew it's just what she wished.

"Is this the extent of what a church exorcist can do even with an Excalibur? I have to say that this is disappointing. If I knew you were only a mere rat, I wouldn't have bothered to stop you. Forget interrupting, you wouldn't even be able to land a scratch on my sister."

Marius said in a bored tone, looking relaxed while keeping her at bay with his shadows. Irina had to roll away from a particularly dangerous attack that could've skewered her. She's starting to feel fatigue while her opponent looks like he could fight all day.

Irina blocked another bundle of shadows with her Excalibur. She tried to parry it aside but the shadows push her back until she hit the wall. She grunted and push back the attack just enough to get away. Though if Marius had been serious, she would've been crushed by the force of his attack alone instead of being slowly pushed back.

"There's no time to rest girl."

Irina grit her teeth in frustration as she dodge more tendrils of shadows being sent her way. There are about a dozen of them and she try to cut through them. As long as it is thin enough, she could still cut them with her Excalibur. The exorcist ran while being chased by Marius riding on his shadows. The man look more like a hunter enjoying a hunt than someone who is in a deadly battle.

One tendril though got her on the left shoulder because she was not fast enough to completely dodge it due to fatigue. Unfortunately, she had been holding her Excalibur Mimic in her left hand and when she was struck, she dropped her weapon due to the pain. Irina fell to the ground with her back on a wall. The exorcist is panting while holding her injured shoulder. She is cornered and there is no way out.

The vampire smiled sadistically and send several tendrils of shadows to skewer her. With the last of her strength, She drew her only other weapon that she knew is effective and slashed at the tendrils. Marius was surprised that his shadows were cut by the incurred exorcist, now holding a single active black key as she stood up.

"That blade, the same blade that your superiors use. Hahaha, the church have certainly made some interesting toys. But that thing will not help you, not right now."

Marius said. Irina glared at Marius even as she fell on her knee, panting from fatigue that assaulted her after activating the key. Activating the weapon in her current condition had drained her greatly. Her undeveloped reserve cannot handle the extended use of her brother's custom black key. Not to mention forcing her body to move had opened her injury further. Even so, Irina look up at Marius in defiance while holding her bleeding shoulder. That was when she noticed it, and so did Marius.

The air began to shift as she felt a lot of power being focused. There is so much power gathered in the air that even she who is not trained in sensing could feel it, the ominous feeling building up all around them. Even Marius stopped to look back and up at the sky. They both saw it; an enormous gate coming down from a swirl of black cloud.

Irina didn't know what it is but she knew that it is something powerful and dark just from the feeling of dread she's getting. Marius though knew exactly what that is. The Gate of Skye, the door that leads to the Land of Shadow, the realm of the Godslayer, the Witch of Dun Scaith.

Suddenly, he felt himself being pulled upward as the gate open. Marius felt like he's staring at the jaw of an apex predator as he used his shadows to keep himself from being sucked in. Irina blinked in confusion when she realized that she's not being sucked in like the vampire.

'Is this… onii-sama's doing?'

Irina wondered. If it is, then she and Haruka will have a lot of things to talk about. But that aside, this is her chance. With Marius struggling to stay grounded, he won't be able to focus on attacking her. All she has to do is cut his shadows that are keeping him on the ground and let the Gate do the rest. Irina get up and try to move. Noticing the exorcist's movement, Marius immediately realize what she's about to do.

But he won't be making it easy for the girl.

As Irina took the first step towards Mairus, the vampire lord sends three tendrils of shadow at her. Irina quickly activate her key to defend, but only managing to cut two tendrils due to her clumsy movement caused by fatigue. The third tendril managed to break her key as she cannot keep up the materialization.

Irina's eyes went wide as she saw the shadow getting close to her, its sharpened tip preparing to puncture her heart. Just as she thought that it's the end for her, she felt herself being pushed aside and the tendril was cut by someone wielding a longsword. Irina only need one look at the person's face to knew who had saved her.

"Papa?!"

"Stay back, Irina-chan. Papa will take care of this."

Shidou Touji snarled at Marius as he ran towards the vampire while wielding Hauteclere. Marius began to panic at the arrival of the old exorcist wielding a full holy sword, even if it is not at its full power. He began sending more shadows at Touji who is charging at him with all the rage a father can muster against someone who nearly killed his daughter.

Moving faster than what Irina expected from her father, Touji dodged and cut through the shadows that tried to stab or swallow him. When he finally got close enough, he slashed Marius at the legs, having heard from Jekyll about the Graal's involvement. Marius screamed as he got sucked into the Gate of Skye. The father and daughter pair watch as the vampire disappear into the Land of Shadow.

With the threat gone, Touji sheathed his sword and went to check on his daughter.

* * *

The Gate of Skye.

Tepes cannot believe it. She thought he's preparing a powerful bombardment spell or something that would exorcise every spirits in London. But this?! The gate to the Land of Shadow itself?! It's insane! She can see and feel every spirit in London being sucked up into the gate. It sucks in everything like a powerful black hole, everything that Haruka consider as his enemy and only them. The buildings and people? All of them are fine, untouched by the power of the Gate.

Tepes use all the magic she has in her command along with her scythe that she now burries into the roof of the building she's standing on to resist being sucked into the massive gate of death. But even if she managed to remain grounded, she can still feel a lot of her power being sucked into the gate. The longer the gate stays open, the weaker she will get since it still sucks in her magical energy, no, her very soul.

And that is very dangerous for her.

Her power came from the soul she assimilated to power her grail to make a body for herself. Her body is not real. It was made and maintained by the massive amount of soul collected and processed into energy. If she was weakened enough, she would lose her form and her 'conscience' will retreat back into the grail. That is why she needs Valerie. She needed her body to become complete!

So far she can be rather liberal with the use of her power and can afford to die numerous times because London had partially become a necropolis. Spiritual energy filled the very air itself and she can draw that energy into her through her grail. She essentially had endless stamina and magical energy. In addition to that, none of her opponents could strike her directly at the soul. She had been practically near invincible.

But the Gate of Skye is starting to clear out the whole city. She can feel the air returning to normal and the presence of spirits starting to dwindle. She can even see black miasma starting to rise from the Thames. She even heard them, the scream of the spirits that are being banished into the Land of Shadow. It hurts her mind just to hear them through her spiritually sensitive ears.

The vampire lady seethed. She refuse to be taken out here. She held up her right arm and bit into it with her fangs. Blood flew out from the self-inflicted wound and she wave her hand at Haruka. The blood then shot out from her hand like a whip as she use all her will and control of her power to command her blood to strike the student of Scathach.

It is difficult for her to maintain the trajectory of her attack and it takes more power than it normally would to maintain her blood control but Tepes willed her attack to hit Haruka without fail. The agent saw the attack coming but he can't do anything to avoid it. He will have to tank it.

Tepes' blood whip struck Haruka from the side. He didn't even wince in pain as his touki tanked the attack. But it did leave a small tear on his coat. When using Gate of Skye, he had to use much of his power to maintain the gate and thus his touki is not as potent during that time. Otherwise he could've fully tanked Tepes' weakened blood whip. Still, credit to her for actually being able to cause a tear on his coat. Beheading him when she is in full power aside, to be able to break through his passive defense, even at its current state, with a weakened attack is impressive.

The gate had been opened for more than a minute now, almost two minutes. Haruka wanted to keep it open for five minutes to be sure that London is thoroughly cleaned. If it were his master though, she wouldn't need to keep the gate open for so long. A minute would be enough for her to command the gate to suck in all her targets and she can even move around during that time!

He doesn't really like using the Gate of Skye. It leaves him vulnerable and expend a lot of his power, not to mention it would out him as the apprentice of Scathach if he was seen. But at this point, he doesn't really have many option. It is the only thing in his arsenal that can wipe out an army in addition to being able to permanently eliminate spirits.

If he were to clear out the city one block at a time, it would take too long and people will die. That is not acceptable. He'd rather risk his carreer and become an enemy of the church than letting people die if he can help it. He had made that mistake when he held back in the underground catacomb. Not this time. Plus Tepes would likely accomplished her objective before he's done.

Tepes lashes out with her blood once again and hit him once again. Haruka's defense hold and he barely felt it this time. She is weakening. That is good. The vampire though is frustrated since her attack did not make Haruka even flinch. She knew she won't be able to hold out forever and she doesn't know how long Haruka can keep the gate open.

Tepes also felt that already more than half the spirits have been eliminated by the gate once they hit two minutes since the gate's opening. She has to think fast or she'll be next.

The vampire lady lash out with her blood whip again. But this time, instead of aiming for the body, she aimed at Haruka's leg, and instead of trying to cut him like before, this time she had the blood whip wrap around his leg and yank him, hard. If she cannot make him stop by attacking him, then she'll forcefully pull him away from his position.

She should've done that from the start. The moment Haruka left his position, the magic circle under him vanished and the gate began to close. Haruka certainly did not expect her to do that or that it would actually work. Then again, nobody had tried pulling a magician's leg when they did their spell. Most of the time, enemies went for the kill immediately.

Haruka thanked God that he she did not do that when he was preparing the Gate or there would be a backlash so bad he wouldn't even dare imagine how it would go. He had only experienced a backlash once during training when Scathach taught him how to call the gate and he was so excited he made a mistake. He was bedridden for two days and it would've been longer if not for Scathach's skill in healing.

The agent then took out a black key and slashed the blood whip. Haruka crash-landed on the roof of a building. Normally, he would've been able to land easily but currently he's a bit spent from calling forth the Gate. It took a lot of energy from him and his head hurts a bit from the amount of concentration needed to fine-tune the Gate's power to target only his enemies. His reserve is actually a bit below half.

The last time he used the Gate was much easier and didn't take as much time to prepare or as much energy to maintain. Then again, by the time he used it during that disastrous mission, he and Kaya were the only ones left alive in that town so he didn't have to care about collateral damage. He just call it at full output and wipe out the whole town, buildings and all. The place where he called forth the Gate back then is now a barren wasteland for many miles.

He doesn't have the luxury to just wipe out everything in sight this time though which is why he needed so long to prepare the Gate. He needed to target his enemies one-by-one and set it so that anything other than those he recognized as enemies won't be sucked in like buildings, civillians, and allies. It took a lot out of him, both magically and mentally… and Tepes noticed it.

She saw his expression when he landed and she could feel his power level had dropped from their previous clash. The vampire smirked. This is a good opportunity to take him out. Tepes brandished her scythe once again and she leapt to where Haruka is. The agent prepare himself to fight, drawing six keys and activating them. But before she reached him though, she turned her scythe to block an incoming blast from the ground.

Tepes' instinct saved her from another death, which she cannot afford to. Her power is limited now. The spiritual presence in the air had decreased and she could feel that there are only a few spirits left that had not been sucked in by the Gate of Skye. She cannot power herself indefinitely and has to fight carefully and efficiently.

Once the blast ended, the vampire lady look down to see Esther alive and well. This doesn't surprise her though. She knew that Valerie would resurrect her with her own Grail. They must've caught their breath before reentering the battle. She will need to go all out if she wanted to win this… if she even could considering the full force arrayed against her.

Tepes narrowed her eyes as she look in the distance towards the Big Ben. That spear that saved Haruka before she could behead him? That was Gae Bolg and if that was indeed Gae Bolg, then the Godslayer is present in London. Haruka is without a doubt her apprentice if he could call the Gate. Even if she won against her current opponents, Scathach will most likely stop her. The prospect of winning is very low. She is not ready to fight a monster of that level.

But she has to fight anyway, whether it is to win or to escape, there is no other option than to fight.

Gathering all the remaining spiritual power present in London into her Grail, Tepes call forth every blood that was spilled in tonight's battle. Red liquid flew from every corner of the city and converge over Tepes' head. There is over a thousand litres of blood gathered by Tepes.

Quite a lot of people have been killed, numbering in hundreds if the amount of blood gathered were of any indication considering that an average person has 5 litres of blood in their body and if they were not drained dry, then there is approximately more than two hundred people that died. Haruka and Esther hoped that it's not the case and most of that blood came from blood packages in hospitals.

With enough blood gathered, she took in some of that blood, around a hundred litre, into herself while the rest merged with her body to make an armor of blood. Six angelic wings made of pure blood appear behind her and she remade her blood scythe. A battle maiden clad in crimson armor that makes her both beautiful and frightening.

For a moment, nobody moved… and suddenly the vampire lady appear right in front of Esther, ready to behead her. But Haruka is fast. Even if he is not in peak condition, he prove himself to be one of the strongest agent the church ever has. Maximizing his touki and controlling the flow of his ki, he went all out and kicked Tepes through a house and towards the street where the vampire lady was stabbed into by Gae Bolg earlier.

"I'll deal with her for now. I'll try to weaken and immobilize her and then we'll have Valerie rip the grail out of her evil counterpart. When you see an opportunity, take it."

Haruka told Esther quickly. He then went after Tepes who had crashed into the street on the other side. His target thoug is not Tepes but the spear his Master threw earlier. He did not see any red streak earlier so that means Scathach had not retrieved Gae Bolg. That means it's still there for him to use.

Still, it's too bad though. If Scathach had retrieved her spear, he would've seen Gae Bolg zipping back to her and he could locate her. Then again, if she doesn't want to be found, even he who is experienced with her tricks won't be able to locate her.

Haruka grabbed Gae Bolg from the ground and slashed at tepes with the blood red spear. The vampire blocked it with her scythe and batted the spear aside with the shaft of her scythe. The vampire spun and slashed at the agent who skillfully parry the scythe with his spear. The agent spun and knock the vampire on the head with the butt end of Gae Bolg. He follow up with a slash using the bladed end aimed at her throat but it was blocked by Tepes' scythe.

Following her senior through the hole in the building, Esther finally saw Haruka fighting seriously for the first time. While he shows himself to be capable back in Romania and when training her as well as his match with Kaya and Xenovia, Esther knew that he did not fight at full power in any of those fights with the intent to kill.

In Romania, he has a mission parameter to meet which forced him to limit his skill set and power level. In their training, he held back so he is only just slightly above her in order for her to learn. During his match with Kaya, they both stick only to keys and roughly equal power, competing only in skill. With Xenovia, he again set up a limit to his strength to make things fair.

This time though, he is serious. He is fighting with all he has, even when he's not at full strength after the use of the Gate, to kill his opponent. He is not holding back or fighting casually like what she had seen from him so far. No, he is going for the kill.

But his opponent is also different.

Esther realized that while she had managed to kill Tepes thrice, she was holding back a lot. She had not seen her as a threat. Tepes was killed thrice not because she is a superior fighter but because Tepes commited a tactical blunder which is holding back against her. In the end, she was killed by Tepes and would've stayed dead if it wasn't for Valerie.

Now Tepes is serious. She is using all her power and skill to kill Haruka. Esther can feel it. Each strike Tepes did has enough strength to break rocks easily and her speed is so great that she could feel the air parted just by the vampire moving. The amount of power she exudes is beyond what she had ever felt, even from those vampire lords she fought. Most of those lords are a joke but Tepes? She's the real deal.

Esther wanted to help but she couldn't follow their movement. And before she realized it, Haruka and Tepes had brought their battle to another block, leaving destruction in their wake. Following the trail of debris left by their clash, Esther followed them, though she doubt she could keep up with that kind of fight.

Tepes struggled as she tried to break through Haruka's defense. While she knew that the man is tough from his spars with Esther as well as his matches against Kaya and Xenovia that she saw through Valerie's eyes, it is now clear that he was holding back all that time. She had boosted all her parameters using the spiritual energy she had gathered and further increase her combat ability with her blood armor but she still cannot overpower or outpace him, and he is not at prime condition!

His knowledge of physical augmentation magic coupled with his touki makes him an absolute monster that can keep up with her supernatural constitution boosted by her own magic and armor. Actually, that is wrong. In reality, it is only because of her armor that she can keep up with him!

While their speed and strength are roughly equal, the man's skill far outstrips her own! In a battle of pure skill, she would've died at least three times. She had forced her blood armor to move her hand in order to keep up with his movements. If she were humans, the sudden changes in movements would've torn her muscles apart. She is struggling against the student of Scathach and he's not even at full power.

Suddenly Tepes tripped. Haruka had used the other end of the spear to trip her feet. His movement with a spear is incredibly fast and skillful that even she didn't notice. But Tepes' body did not reach the ground. The blood wings on her back stabbed into the ground to stop her fall and with her position, she kicked the agent in the stomach just as he was about to follow up with his attack to kill her.

Haruka grunted in pain as he crashed into a wall and into the living room of a house. He picked himself up from the floor just in time to move his spear to cut several tendrils of blood that came from Tepes' wings. The vampire lady appear in front of him about to… stab him with a rapier? She had switched weapon?!

The agent block the rapier with his spear. He then moved the spear upward, hitting Tepes on the chin with the other end. He thrust the spear at the vampire's heart but her wings folded to the front to protect her. The spear met the blood wings and Haruka was forced to retreat back when the blood wings shoot out spikes of blood at him. Haruka retreated by circling around the house, knocking many things along the way and then jumping out a closed window, destroying it. He's glad that in times like these it is the cleanup crew that has to take care of things or he would've been depp in debt due to collateral damage.

Tepes followed him out and saw the agent jumping through a window. She rushed at him and thrust her rapier at bullet speed. The agent's inhuman perception knew of her approach and block her attack with his spearheld downward. He then reach out with one hand to touch Tepes' shoulder pauldron. Once he touched her, Haruka kick her way. The vampire knew what he had done and brace herself.

Her whole right side exploded in flame just as she moved her wings to protect her face. The blast heavily injured her but it did not kill her. She absorbed some of the blood from her armor to repair the damage done by Haruka's rune. It's fortunate that she knew some of his tricks thanks to her connection with Valerie or it would've been dangerous.

Shidou is a little annoyed that his rune did not kill Tepes. That's okay, there's always more opportunity to kill her. Though if only he could use Gae Bolg. It would've been much easier. Unfortunately, while he could use it as an ordinary spear, he cannot access its power unlike a designated wielder could and unlike with Hauteclere earlier, he could not force a connection with a weapon of Gae Bolg's caliber.

Without being able to use its power, Gae Bolg is simply a very sharp and durable spear. If he were able to use its power even if only a little, he would've been able to break Tepes' scythe and wings with Gae Bolg's aura. But that's alright. He doesn't need the legendary weapon's power to win. All he need is his own skill.

Scathach's apprentice dashed dug his feet into the ground and dashed forward, making the ground crack from the force of his movement. He thrust the spear at Tepes. Instead of defending though, Tepes spun and blood needles shot out from all around her body. The agent was surprised but he managed to stop and twirl his spear to deflect the blood needles.

He then look up to see Tepes floating, her wings spread out and ready to attack. Her weapon changed again. She is now holding a sickle… that now extend itself, a kusarigama. Magic circles also appear over her wings. Haruka's eyes widened as large beams of energy shot out from the magic circles, bombarding him. He throw away Gae Bolg and took out his keys.

He overcharged the keys with his magic, creating large, thick and wide blades that he used to defend against the barrage from Tepes. He then ump back just in time to avoid Tepes' kusarigama. He leapt back once more and throw all six keys and deploying another set that he also threw. The keys were launched from his hands with the speed of sound. Eight of the keys destroyed the magic circles Tepes deployed while the remaining four was blocked by her wings and her remade scythe.

"Set. Fire!"

Haruka shouted a command. The four deflected keys as well as the eight keys that pierced her magic circle stopped in midair. They then changed their direction as a magic circle appear on each of their hilt. Haruka shot them once again at Tepes at accelerated speed. She didn't move fast enough with her wings and scythe. She managed to deflect nine keys but three managed to pierce her from the stomach and her back.

The agent ran to retrieve his keys. He also picked up Gae Bolg and with a powerful jump, he ran the spear through Tepes. The vampire lady screamed in pain but she won't die yet. She headbutted the agent, surprising him, and then punch him hard with all the strength she has. Haruka was blown away hard with Gae Bolg still in hand. He crashed onto the roof of another house while also ripping off Tepes' left side when Gae Bolg was pulled out. The vampire coughed out blood as she started repairing the damage. Her reserve is getting lower but without Haruka around, she has her chance to get away.

Before she could though, a powerful blast of holy energy hit her, shooting her down from the sky. Tepes crashed onto the street. She got up to see Esther Blanchett with her sacred gear pointed at her. She had forgotten that Esther is still around since Haruka is the more dangerous of the two. No matter. Compared to the senior agent, the junior agent is easier to take care off.

Tepes winced as her head throbbed in pain. She shook her head and ready her scythe once more. She leapt towards Esther, weapon ready. Esther shot several blasts of holy energy at her that she easily deflect with her scythe. The vampire smirked. Esther's ordinary holy bullet is no threat to her. Only her charged shot is and she has no time to charge her sacred gear.

As she got close to the red haired agent, Esther prepare to intercept her with her gear's sword mode, but there was no need. Before Tepes could swing her scythe, a large torrent of water hit her, sending her off course. She crashed into a wall and has to peel herself off. She was a bit dazed but force her body to move as black keys flew straight towards where she was and destroyed a good portion of the wall.

Tepes groaned and steady herself. Once she stood upright, she groaned again as now there are three exorcists arrayed against her. Chief Richard had just arrived on his water platform and Haruka have also recovered from her previous attack. Twirling Gae Bolg with his right hand, the senior AX agent smiled.

"Now then, shall we finish this dance at last?"

* * *

 **Okay, again, due to the length, I have to divide the chapters. But don't worry, the end of the London arc is near, next chapter in fact which I'm already working on. After that, we will have a short introduction to Issei side as well as the devils back in Kuoh. I have taken several new things into consideration and I can assure everyone that what I'm doing for the Riser part will be unexpected. I'm hesitant to call it an arc though since Riser's part won't even take more than one or two chapters. We're going straight into the Excalibur arc after that with some new surprises. Dammit, I've spent too much time in the London arc.**

 **Xenophos24: The next arc will be a canon arc. And yeah, I take some references from Lord El Melloi II Case Files. ES is meant to be a more serious take on DxD with an expanded world.**


	23. File 23

**File 23: Case Closed**

Tepes knew that there is no escaping now. Each of the fighters in front of her are formidable individually but together? She doubt she could win even with Marius and the Ripper backing her up. The Ripper aside, Marius, for his status as a vampire lord, is not even stronger than Esther as she is now. That vampire lord might be able to take on grunts by the dozens but against someone like Richard and Esther, he's not reliable.

Tepes created a pair of longswords using her blood magic and prepare herself for their assault. Her three opponents are formidable, but she at least knew what they can do. If she fight carefully, she might have chance. The only one who can fight her directly is Haruka so the other two will likely act as support for him while he personally engage her in battle.

'…how did I put myself in this situation?'

The vampire lady wondered. At the same time, Esther fired a charged shot at her. Tepes create a blood shield from her left vambrace to tank the shot. Once the shot ended, she quickly move away, knowing that Haruka would use that opportunity to strike. She move just in time to avoid a downward strike from Gae Bolg. She leapt back again and spread her blood wings, taking flight just as a water whip nearly struck her. As expected, fighting all three of them will be troublesome.

Tepes created several magic circles at the tip of her wings, firing beams of pure energy at the three. Richard went to the front and create a water barrier. The beams struck the water barrier, creating steam when pure energy met water surface. But since Tepes' power output is greater, the barrier was pierced. Esther and Richard dodged to the side just as the beams hit the ground. Haruka is nowhere to be seen though so he must've moved earlier.

Tepes spotted a movement in the corner of her vision and felt danger is coming. She flew upward, barely avoiding a slash from Haruka who deployed his keys in one hand, almost blindsiding her when he suddenly appeared. He had already moved on the offensive when she shot them earlier, using buildings to aid his movement. When he missed, he turn around and threw his keys at her. Tepes intercepted them with her blood wings, sending out tendrils of blood from her 'feathers' to knock them from the air.

The vampire lady barely registered a spike in energy when a powerful beam suddenly struck her armored body, sending her flying backward. Esther had fired that shot after observing where she will be moving. When the shot ended, Haruka suddenly reappear again in front of her, thrusting Gae Bolg at her. Tepes crossed her swords and blocked the thrust, parrying it and then kicking Haruka hard.

The agent was sent flying backward but he repositioned himself as he landed on a water platform created by Richard. Just as he landed, another beam was shot by Esther, forcing Tepes to dodge. Haruka took the opportunity to attack, slashing at her with his spear. Tepes narrowly dodged the attack, countering with her own sword. Haruka move the spear to his back, catching the blade with the shaft of his pole weapon but without a foothold, Haruka was sent down to the ground. That will buy her several seconds to deal with the others.

Tepes immediately turn around, creating a shield just in time to block another blast coming from Esther. She then created a dozen magic circles, shooting beams at the coming torrent of waters sent by Richard. The beams again pierced the water barriers that the Ripper couldn't dent, but was stopped by several other layers of water barriers, eventually tanking the attack before it could reach the ground. Tepes then flew straight towards Esther and Richard. London's chief exorcist created more water barriers to stop her.

She reformed her blood weapon into a lance, focusing a lot of her power on the tip. The vampire lady easily punch through the barriers and was about to skewer Richard when Haruka reappear, moving quicker than even herself to block the attack with his black keys, having discarded Gae Bolg earlier in favor of his personal weapon to block her strike. The force of her attack caused the agent to skid backward but he stood strong.

The vampire lady once again reformed her weapon into a sword and shield. She bashed the agent with her shield, causing him to stagger before following up with a volley of blood shards from her wings. Haruka move his hands quickly to parry the blood shards with his keys. But that was only for momentary distraction as Tepes created at least two dozen magic circles, all aimed at him at full power.

The resulting explosion caused by the converging beams was great. Even an ultimate class opponent will die from such firepower that left a deep crater and charred earth. Tepes though knew Haruka is not so easily killed, but she also knew that it would at least injure him or hopefully, take him out of the battle for a while. She had concentrated a lot of her magic into those blasts.

But she cannot rest yet. She raised her shield as she turn around, just in time to tank another blast from Esther. She also felt magical power coming from behind her and with a glance, she saw a large torrent of water about to crash onto her. She gathered the blood on the right side of her body and created a thin blood wall. The water crashed onto the thin wall but it could not even crack it. While Richard is powerful and versatile, his magic potential is nowhere near Tepes' own.

It won't stay like that for long though. While the wall will hold strong, Tepes could feel it draining her magic. She still has plenty of magic left in her reserve but a prolonged fight is inadvisable. She had used up quite a lot in her last attack at Haruka after all. She had been trying to fight conservatively to save energy. If she could beat Esther and Richard, then…

Wait, shouldn't she be running away? She should be retreating but why is she fighting? The smart move right now is to retreat and lick her wound, not fight them. But her feet refuses to move and her mind is telling her to fight, that she shoudn't be having this much problem against lower beings like these humans.

The vampire frowns. She open her right palm and command her blood wall to move. The blood wall move and engulfed the torrent of water. She closed her palm and the water was consumed by her blood and it returns to her just as Esther's attack ended. She recreated her sword in her right hand as she turn towards the remaining agent and exorcist. She was about to attack when she sensed danger coming from behind her.

She turn around with shield at the ready and winced in pain as four blades pierced her blood shield and one of them stabbed into her arm. She didn't need to look to see who had managed to penetrate her defense. The black keys exploded right in front of her, taking out most of her left arm and burning the left side of her body. She quickly regenerate from the damage and glare at the culprit.

Shidou Haruka did not survive the explosion unharmed. He had lost his coat and his vestment are burnt in several places and blood trickles down from numerous wounds on his body but his touki is burning brightly. Tepes try to move the blood in his body from the open wounds but she found out that she could not. Of course, it's because his touki is shielding him from her power. Nothing can ever be easy with him.

Haruka suddenly move, engaging her in close combat with his keys. Tepes found herself on the defensive as he move with agility and speed she could barely follow. He could be in front of her in a moment but then reappear behind her moments later. How can he achieve such explosive speed that she can barely follow?!

The answer came when she noticed what is happening to his body and his magic. Bursts of magic flew out from his limbs like explosion, enhancing his speed and strength to the limit in a very dangerous way. He's going to finish this quickly. She has to disengage.

Tepes was about to disengage when suddenly Esther shot her from behind with enough firepower to stagger her. Haruka stepped forward. Tepes move her wings to intercept and skewer him but Richard had sent his water to block her wings, this time making sure he put in enough power to not be overpowered by Tepes' blood armor. It will be draining, but this is their chance.

With her wings restrained and not going to break free anytime soon with how much effort Richard is putting in, Tepes created several magic circles to blast Haruka. Even if she'll also suffer heavy injury from the point-blank blast, it'll be worth it if she can take down the strongest opponent, and she'll be sure to take him out with how much damage he had accumulated throughout their battle.

But Haruka noticed the circles forming and intercepted them by throwing his keys quicker than even Tepes can follow, wincing in pain as he did so. The keys destroyed the circles and Tepes doesn't have the time to make another volley.

Running out of options, the vampire then swung her sword at the unarmed agent but he easily caught her hand mid-swing. With his free hand, Haruka pulled back his fist and then punched the vampire lady hard, his hands glowing with pure magical energy. A powerful shockwave was released from the point his hand made contact with her body.

The vampire lady coughed out an obscene amount of blood as her blade fell from her limp hand and return to its liquid state. Haruka did not come out uninjured though as his right hand that he used to punch her is now broken and bleeding. But he quickly grab her by the neck with his uninjured hand and slam her to the ground.

"Chief, restrain her!"

Haruka yelled to the chief. Richard quickly move his water to restrain the vampire's whole body and pin her to the ground before she fully resurrect. As light began to return to her eyes, Haruka pull out his keys and stabbed her all over her body, nailing her to the ground deep as he burry his blades to her body and the ground until only the hilts are visible. Ten keys was used in total. Two for each limbs and another two on her torso. The moment she regained full consciousness, Tepes found herself pinned to the ground.

The vampire lady try to move but even the most minimum movement hurts due to the black keys that are pinning her, infused with sigils and runes. She try to bear with the pain and force her body and blood armor to move but whatever progress she made was stopped when Haruka stomped on her while giving her a dispassionate look. Tepes coughed out some blood and glare at the agent. But after several seconds, the vampire lady sighs and relaxed her muscles. She's beaten and she knew it.

She will not be able to escape. Richard's water aside, Haruka's keys are currently burning her stamina with whatever power he infused into the weapon. If she even dare move, Haruka would simply kick her and stab her some more. Even if she could escape, she doubt she could get far. Injured as he is, the man is still strong enough to fight. Not to mention there is his teacher lounging around somewhere.

"It seems that it's your win, Haruka."

She said to him but the agent paid her no heed. That disappointed her a little bit. Strangely enough, she felt that this is fine. All that anger and frustration before as well as her desire to survive, all of them had disappeared… and it made her frown.

"Esther, go find Valerie and bring her here. Let's get this over with."

Haruka ordered. Esther merely nodded and went to fetch Valerie who is hiding in one of the houses during the battle. As the senior agent watch his protegee leaving, he made himself comfortable by leaning on a slightly bent lamp pole while Richard kept an eye on their captive. Haruka is sure that there are many things that went through the chief's mind right now but as long as he doesn't ask, he won't say anything.

He then look at his injured arm and sighs. He'll need to ask Valerie to heal it after this. Hopefully her training had reached the point where she can mend broken bones and torn muscles. He should've relied on touki for that last attack instead of burst but he doesn't want to send her flying and have to look for her body.

His whole body is screaming in pain. That technique is not perfect. Bursts are useful when he want to launch his keys at bullet speed but using it to increase his speed, agility, and attack power is nearly suicidal. Touki might have strengthened his body but it still has a limit. That's why he doesn't like using bursts on anything other than his keys.

While his body is tougher than a normal human's, releasing an obscene amount of magic from his limbs in a way similar to creating explosive force is still dangerous. Doing it wrong might even bend his limb at an unnatural angle or simply strain his nerves so much that they bursts. Normally, he could handle for some time it but he had been injured and his touki had weakened a good deal when he decided to use burst.

Touki had been enough for him in most cases but Tepes had been able to match him with his touki on so he needed an advantage, and that advantage is the speed and agility granted by bursts. Good thing that he has a very high pain tolerance thanks to Scathach's inhuman training or he would be screaming in pain. Not to say that he doesn't feel in pain but he had experienced worse injuries during his first year of training.

Then his mind wandered to some other topic. Now that they got a small reprieve with most of the spirits sucked in by the Gate of Skye and Tepes pinned to the ground, Haruka could start thinking about the report he's going to write. He's really not looking forward to it.

Everything has been a disaster and so many people have died. To think that a simple retrieval mission that he was planning to make as Esther's first mission became an incident that warranted the use of Gate of Skye, it's a huge failure on his part. He will need to reevaluate his own performance once they get back.

Haruka was broken out of his thought when he heard footsteps running to their direction. Esther had found and brought Valerie back with her. Now it's time to end this nightmare once and for all.

* * *

Valerie had been hiding inside one of the houses after she's done resurrecting Esther. A simple resurrection had drained her a lot in her current condition but she's glad that she managed to save her friend.

After that though, she couldn't keep up with what happened. Haruka going all out against her other self is simply a fight not even Esther could jump into easily. It was intense and fast-paced and she couldn't keep up with her current condition so she opted to stay back until everything is clear. And sure enough, the battle eventually ended.

Esther came to fetch her and informed her that Tepes, her other self, have been subdued. Her friend look a bit winded and there are some bruises but other than that, it doesn't appear that she suffered any other injuries. When she arrived at where Tepes is restrained though, she saw who took most of the damage in that intense battle.

It is testament of how tough Tepes was when Valerie saw Haruka without his signature coat and his vestment in tatters and sporting a heavily injured right arm, though he doesn't seem to feel it since he's not even nursing his injury, acting like his broken arm is all fine. He must possess a high level of pain tolerance.

But still, it is quite something to see him being so injured. She and Esther had always believed that Haruka is one of the strongest people there is and nothing could ever hurt him but seeing him like this made her realize that he's still just a human… not that there's anything wrong with it.

Her attention then turned to their down foe, her 'other self' that had been trying to kill them. She is no longer clad in her blood armor which had been released, creating a large puddle of blood underneath her. She had given up all form of resistance. There is a disturbingly calm look on her face despite her defeat. Steeling herself for whatever is coming next, Valerie Nightroad approached her downed doppleganger.

"Ahh, so you're here, Nightroad."

Valerie raised an eyebrow at the polite tone Tepes is greeting her with, very much different from how she addressed her before. The arrogance she show before had disappeared but, somehow she look more natural with her current expression than with the high and mighty attitude from before.

"So this is it. I lost and you guys won. Now come and reclaim your grail."

Tepes told her. She then took a deep breath and close her eyes, preparing herself for her demise. Valerie walk up to her counterpart. She knelt beside her and place her hand over Tepes' chest. She then reach out to the grail that exist inside her other self. When she found it and establish a connection with it, the world seems to flash before her eyes, blinding her.

When Valerie opened her eyes once more, she vound herself floating in a black void. She frantically look around in panic, not knowing what had just happened, but she eventually calm herself down, knowing that panicking wouldn't help her.

"Welcome to our inner world, Valerie Nightroad."

Valerie's eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice, her own voice, coming from behind her. She turn around to see her other self, her vampire self free of any restraint floating in the void like her with the holy grail on her hand. This surprised Valerie and she prepare herself for a fight. But her other self shook her head as she flew closer.

"I'm not here to harm you or even attempt to steal your grail. I just want to talk."

She said to her. Valerie look at her counterpart with reasonable suspicion.

"To talk? Why do you want to talk now of all time? Why should I believe you after all that you've done?"

A logical reply. Tepes did not say anything but her answer came in the form of an action. She casually tossed the grail in her hand to Valerie. Nightroad caught the grail but her eyes are still on Tepes, making sure that the vampire doesn't make any suspicious movement. She didn't.

"I don't expect you to. But I'm serious in saying that I just want to talk."

Valerie still look at her suspiciously but then she sighs. If her other self wanted to get the grail, then she would've done so here without anyone able to interfere unless she's really unable to. Valerie is sure that she's no match for her other self in combat. But that doesn't mean she will drop her guard around her.

"If you really want to talk then first answer this. Why? Why did you do all this?"

Valerie questioned, mostly referring to her unleashing all those spirits in London. She could make sense of Tepes wanting to get the grail but she doesn't know why she caused so much death and destruction. Tepes stayed silent for a while, collecting her thought before finally giving an answer.

"To gain power to destroy the vampire race."

That… is an answer Valerie both expect and did not expect.

"…or at least that is what I thought this is all about."

Now that puzzled Valerie. Tepes sounds unsure about her answer. Her other self then turn towards her and look at her straight in the eyes.

"Did you know what I first felt when I first gain consciousness? Hatred, and a lot of it. I felt hate towards the vampires for how we are treated. I felt anger, frustration, any manner of negative emotion you can think of when you think about vampires, and it is all because I'm the part of you that you happen to discard when the first grail was stolen from you."

"…"

"I resented you for that you know? Thinking that I'm simply a dumping ground for all your negative emotion that you felt like you don't need simply because you're a goody two shoes… but that's not exactly right is it"

Tepes then sight as she turn her back towards Valerie.

"Regardless, back when I first gained consciousness that was all that I know. So I formulated a plan in response to all this feelings I have. I used the grail to create the Ripper from the collective resentment of the dead children thrown into the Thames. I used the Ripper to collect souls and heart to empower the Grail so I can gain more power and eventually create a body for myself. It went rather well and when the Ripper met Shidou Irina, I was pretty much ready. I released my hold on the Ripper's sanity and let it be overwhelmed by its own resentment since I figured Shidou Irina could handle it. Anyway, I let myself be found when I knew that Shidou Irina will be coming, otherwise, I would've had Marius took care of anyone getting even remotely close to the grail. I knew that if Irina were to see the grail, she would inform Haruka about it, thus drawing you in."

That… was convoluted really but since it really did happen, she could't say that what Tepes did was ineffective.

"As you know, you took the bait since there really is no other choice for you other than to reclaim you grail. I succeeded in drawing you in and Haruka's presence is accounted for. I stayed in the underground precisely because of that."

What did she mean by that? She stayed in the underground because she took Haruka into account? How did that make sense? Then she remembered. Haruka held back one attack that resulted in him being kicked into an incoming train. Did she really predict that Haruka would hold back if they fight there? How did she do that?!

"Haruka will not risk going all out in such a place unless he is absolutely forced to. After that, it is only a matter of temporarily taking him out of the equation and then claiming your grails… or at least it is supposed to be. That was when things became odd."

Odd?

"Tell me, Nightroad, what was the most logical thing to do when my goal is right in front of me and I have all the advantage?"

Tepes questioned. Valerie knew that she is referring to that moment in the underground after she kicked Haruka into an incoming train. She was really scared back then. Tepes defeating Haruka meant that they are screwed. Haruka is their strongest fighter and if Tepes could take him out, there is little hope that anyone else could take her on. The grail would've been easy picking for… wait a minute.

"You could've claimed my grail there and then… but you didn't. Instead you arrogantly let us got and summon an army of spirits right in the middle of London. Heh, look who's laughing now. Your arrogance proved to be your undoing."

They were lucky that Tepes was arrogant enough to let them go and allow them a chance to counterattack… except from her own gut feeling and how Tepes is staring at her with raised eyebrow, that's not actually the case.

"Is this the face of an arrogant vampire who would let her prey slip from her grasp?"

No, it's not. So far Tepes had been civil and shown how brilliant she could be. But then why did she do all that and not just simply claim the grail for herself?

"The logical thing to do would be to incapacitate Irina and Esther, I like them enough to spare them, and then claim the grail from you and get out of London. Efficient and minimal risk."

"But then why did you let us go and do all that stuff?"

"That… is the million dollar question, isn't it? You and I both know that we have a working brain inside our head. So why did I do something so stupid like that?"

Valerie wanted to say that it is because she's just stupidly arrogant but, it does get her thinking. There is more to this than meets the eye. Valerie is still cautious of her counterpart. But if on the off chance she is being truthful, she will need to know. So Valerie made her decision…

* * *

-London, the day after-

Shidou Haruka peered from the window of Richard's office, looking at the damaged city of London, a result of his mistake, and he won't let others deny it. The senior agent sighed as he took in the result of his choices from the night before.

He is now dressed in a new black vestment, unbuttoned, without his signature coat as his clothes was damaged last night. He is currently borrowing his father's old vestment. His broken arm had been repaired by Valerie after she reclaimed her grail.

Currently, there are three people occupying the office. Richard himself is occupying his usual position behind his desk, having to write a report that he will have to send to the Queen and Parliament. With an incident so big and the damage to the city being so extensive, they have to report this to the local government.

While the supernatural side and the mundane side tend to keep their matters separate, there are times when both world got mixed up so badly that the local government had to be brought in for reasons like massive property damage and major lost of life during a supernatural incident. Such meeting between the two sides rarely end well for anyone involved.

Haruka is plenty aware of this. After all, if his and Kaya's identity had been released during that joint mission in America a few years back that resulted in the destruction of a whole town, they would've gotten a dishonorable discharge at best and be on the chopping block at worst.

While he and Kaya managed to keep their identity a secret, their superiors had to set up a small magical organization there to take the fall to appease the American government. He and Kaya was warned to never step foot on America again for at least several decades. While their involvement have been covered up, it is best to not take any risk. The CIA are not entirely convinced that their scapegoat is guilty… neither did he actually.

The third person in the office is circling around the center of the room with his phone out. Jekyll had been making some calls for the past hour, directing his people on the field. Both his agents and exorcists are currently working with government agents all around the city to do damage control. After all, this is not an incident they can simply sweep under the rug using simple hypnotism.

The reason why these three men meet up in Richard's office is to hear the damage report as they come in, and it doesn't look good. Up to four thousand have been confirmed dead with more than a hundred thousand injured. This is already on a scale beyond what they could cover up with hypnotism and fake accidents. Gas leaks can only explain so much. In the end, the public will probably know this as a sudden terrorist attack.

"The Queen won't be pleased."

Richard muttered. He has been working on the official report for the past hour, hence why the two other men are in his office since they are major players that held high rank among the groups involved from the start until the end of the incident.

"If we get a budget cut because of this, I'm blaming you."

Richard said to Haruka without looking at the young man since he is typing the last details in his report. Haruka weakly chuckled. For a large organization like the Exorcist Agency that works all over the world to deal with supernatural matters, a very large amount of funding is needed to keep a lot of operations going, money that the church doesn't have if they were to run everything by themselves, though not many rank-and-file exorcists are aware of this since they don't care about bureaucracy. Richard didn't even know about this until he became chief! To keep up their operations, funding from the local government is needed.

"That's fine as long as you do me that favor."

"…I'm not quite happy with it but since you agree to take the blame and it's not my business what the Catholics do, or who they hire. I have made sure to keep your subordinates out from the report."

The chief said. He is only halfway through the report since he has to make several edits when reporting about several parts of the incident. They were twisting the story a little bit to keep Esther and Valerie's names out of the report but that won't be the first or the last time anyone of them would twist a report.

Supernatural bureaucracy is dirty like that, especially since falsifying supernatural incident report is much easier due to multitude of reasons, mainly due to the supernatural element that are usually unpredictable. Besides, these reports are usually only submitted so that the local government could spin a coverup story and calculate repair budgets. That's how it mostly goes in Europe at least.

Suddenly Jekyll perked up. His phone made a single sound that notifies him that he has an email. He touch his phone several times, presumably to open his new message. A moment later though, Richard received a notification on his PC that he has a new email. He opened his email and saw that Jekyll had forwarded him something. He opened the file and saw a whole report of the incident.

"Henry, did you just sent me the whole incident report? Why didn't you tell me you're going to send me one?! I spent two hours working on this thing!"

The grin Jekyll gave Richard serves to irritate him more. That bastard probably didn't say anything because he think that it would be a good prank or something. They might get along but sometimes they like to get on each other's nerves.

Sighing for the umpteenth time today, Richard go over the incident report Jekyll had sent him. At first, things went normally. But then, halfway through the report, Richard began to notice many changes and one particular change stood out among the rest.

"Wait, what's this about the Witch of Dun Scaith being present?!"

This is more than just editing several things out. In this report, it was stated that the user of Sephiroth Graal had gone rogue and was gathering power to raise an army of undead. A team was sent to apprehend the Longinus user but the Longinus user managed to raise the spirits of the dead and beat back the team. Midway through the incident, Scathach who was present decided to lend a hand and use the Gate of Skye before finishing off the Longinus user. It's both correct and totally incorrect at the same time.

Basically, they are implicating Scathach in the incident.

Hearing one of his master's title being mentioned, Haruka's eyes widened and shove Richard aside as he read the report made by Jekyll's people. The team sent was reported to have been heavily injured and what he did was being credited to Scathach.

"Your master told me to use her name to protect your secret."

Jekyll said, making Haruka perk up.

"Wait, you've seen her?"

The old doctor nodded.

"She's the one who told me to use her name so your identity and power could be kept a secret. Ohh and she has something for you."

Jekyll handed him a letter. Haruka opened it and saw it written in ancient Celtic. Being her apprentice, he's able to read the letter like he's reading in Japanese, Latin, or English. The letter explain that she's currently in London and was planning to meet him since she knew he would be around but with what happened last night, she decided to postpone their reunion and ask him to come see her in the hotel she's staying at two.

Which means he won't be returning to Vatican until at least tomorrow.

No matter. If his teacher want to speak to him then he won't deny her.

As Haruka happily read the letter, Richard and Jekyll look at him oddly. To see someone like Haruka smiling widely as if Christmas came early is odd when their first impression of him is that of a powerful agent. Right now he looks like an excited teenage boy instead of the powerful agent they saw fighting Tepes last night.

People can really be unexpected sometimes.

* * *

Last night was very hectic.

Esther never imagined that her first mission would be so intense and dangerous that she actually died once. She would've stayed dead if it weren't for Valerie and her Longinus. Fortunately, Haruka told her that most of their missions are not that dangerous or catastrophic. Last night was an exception, one that they were not prepared for. He admit that he should've known better though. Longinus is always an X factor that is hard to predict.

The senior agent had left about two hours ago to talk with chief Richard concerning a report. Since the matter last night was very complicated, he told her not to follow him and he will explain about their reports later. His original plan was to have Esther handle the report for this mission but due to the circumstances, he had to postpone it until the next mission. She's curious why he doesn't just bring her so she can observe but he must have his own reasons.

Currently she and Valerie, both dressed in civilian outfits, are walking in Hyde park, waiting for Haruka to finish his business. Valerie is walking around with a bright smile on her face, enjoying her restored strength and the new sight. As a dhampir, she is a daywalker vampire who could walk around in the daylight. Though even if she is not a daywalker, that could be easily fixed using her Longinus.

Though her excitement died down when they saw some government agents working behind some area barred by the yellow police line. It is hard to keep being excited when they kept being reminded of what happened last night. She doesn't know the death toll yet but Esther knew that a lot of people died last night due to seeing those police line several times on their way to the park.

"Esther!"

Suddenly Esther heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She turn around and saw Shidou Irina waving at her dressed in casual clothing. The girl had woken up at last. She had been very exhausted when they got back to the Shidou residence last night. Apart from Haruka, she is the only other one in their group that had needed healing. She was almost killed by Marius Tepes before her father rescued her and send Marius into the Gate of Skye. Esther felt like it should've been her to kill Marius again but that thought was immediately banished from her mind. Tepes was the bigger threat at that time and she has to focus on her.

"Irina. You're up."

"Yup! I went looking for you guys when I woke up but I can't find you. Mama told me you went to take a stroll in Hyde park so I came."

It's nice to see the girl up and about. Haruka was worried about her when he knew that Irina almost got killed. He might tease her from time to time but he does care about his little sister.

"So are you fine now?"

Esther asked. Irina swung her arm a few times to show that her injury had been healed.

"Yup, all fine! I should thank Valerie for healing me. Speaking of Valerie, where is she?"

Irina asked. Esther pointed forward and Irina saw the dhampir walking around in the distance. Valerie act like she is seeing everything for the first time with how excited she look, which if Esther thought about it, is exactly what she is experiencing. The girl had been locked in the Tepes mansion for all her life and she had never seen the outside world. Even back in Vatican, she had never gone far from Vatican city and truly explore Rome.

It's nice to see her friend exploring and experiencing new things. Esther felt that she deserve that much after what the vampires did to her.

"Is it alright letting her run around like that?"

Irina questioned.

"It's fine. Let her have her fun."

Esther chuckled. Then there was silence between them. The two of them enjoy the fresh air of the park as they kept walking, following the path Valerie took. But then Irina look up to the red haired agent and spoke.

"Nee, Esther, you helped onii-sama in his fight against that other Valerie, right?"

Esther was a bit surprised by the question but nod in affirmation nonetheless.

"Yes, I did. Tepes was very strong. If she had taken me seriously, I would've been killed. Her Sephiroth Graal is especially troublesome you know. I killed her three time and she kept reviving until she took me seriously! Haruka is really impressive to be able to fight that monster directly."

Esther said. The red head noticed Irina looking down after what she said.

"Irina, what's wrong?"

The agent asked in worry.

"You are really strong."

"Strong? Me? No, I'm not! I mean, I only managed to delay Tepes and kill her three times only because she didn't take me seriously. Once she did, I could barely fight back! She even killed me! I would've died if it weren't for Valerie using her Graal."

"But still, you managed to give Tepes a fight, right? And from the sound of it, she's really strong. But me? I couldn't even touch my opponent when he's toying with me."

Irina sighed. The girl is disappointed in herself. While Esther could at least fight and even injure and kill her superior opponent, regardless of said opponent being able to resurrect or not, Irina on the other hand couldn't even scratch Marius and could barely defend herself. The less said about her brother the better. From a boy who couldn't land even a single hit against Xenovia he had now become a very strong exorcist that could fight a Longinus user who almost devastated London.

"How did you became so strong?"

That question remain unanswered by Esther. The red head had never considered herself strong. Capable, yes, but not strong. She won her battle through quick thinking and preparation, never brute force. But then, she always have adequate equipment and firepower thanks to her sacred gear and now tools supplied by AX, things which Irina lacked. Esther cannot find any answer she could give to the young Shidou.

While Esther is talking with Irina, Valerie had gone on ahead to sightsee. Having been cooped up in the Tepes mansion all her life, Valerie enjoy seeing and learning about new things. If only the mission had ended in a better note last night, her stroll here would've been more enjoyable.

[Why should you care about what happen to these humans anyway, Nightroad?]

A voice echoed in her head, a voice that is similar to her own but a bit colder and harsher.

'Well, since I'm going to work with AX from now on, I should learn to care about human lives, right? Besides, I'm part human.'

Replied Valerie mentally.

[Heh, I suppose so. But you sure are something. You reclaimed and reformatted the Graal but you still kept me around. What is your aim by doing this?]

Tepes asked. Valerie thought for a while before answering her.

'If what you said is right, then I will need your help to learn about what truly happened. Besides, when I went through the Graal's memory, I did see it. When you're barely, conscious, there was someone that found the Graal. But you're not yet truly self-aware at that time so it's only a glimpse and very blurry but, this gave credential to your story. Besides, two heads is better than one, right?'

Valerie Nightroad replied. She heard her counterpart sighing.

[I suppose I shouldn't complain. I'm actually fine with this. I lost so I should listen to the winner.]

'Right. So let's try to get along, Val!'

[Val? Well, whatever. Besides, this just gave me chance to get closer to Haruka and Esther.]

The alternate personality grinned mischievously. Valerie blinked as she process what her other self just said.

'Are you perhaps…'

Before Valerie could finish whatever it is she wanted to say to Val, she was interrupted by the arrival of her senior agent and one of the person her other self is talking about.

"Valerie!"

"Haruka?"

"Haruka!"

"Onii-sama!"

Valerie calling Haruka's name caught Irina and Esther's attention. The two girls who had been walking slowly behind Valerie caught up to her.

"So you're done with the report?"

Esther asked. The senior agent nodded.

"Yes. Jekyll, Richard and I spent quite some time working on it but it's done. Richard will be the one submitting it to the parliament. A copy have also been sent to Cardinal Strada. For now, I suppose I could say mission accomplished. We'll be staying here for one more day before returning to Vatican though."

"Submit a report to the Parliament?"

The Esther and Irina were confused at what Haruka said. Esther aside, Irina was unaware that the local government is involved due to never being told about such things. Valerie was aware about the loose relationship the supernatural side and the mundane side have with each other since it was part of what Woodsworth taught her and Haruka plan to explain it to Esther soon but he's not sure whether to tell Irina or not. It's bureaucracy after all.

"Nevermind. Anyway, all of you get free time until tomorrow afternoon, and that includes Irina too. You can do whatever you want but don't make a mess that will get you arrested."

That is good news to the girls, though the latter part of what he said is definitely unnecessary. Seeing that the girls are happy, Haruka smiled. The hotel Scathach is staying is not far. It's a coincidence that he met the girls on the way there but that just means he doesn't have to tell them about their time off later. He need to replace his damaged phone and communicator when he gets back.

Leaving the girls to their own devices, Haruka continue walking. It took him ten minutes to get to the hotel. Scathach's room is on the tenth floor. It has been a while since he last saw his master directly. It will be a reunion he is looking forward to.

Once Haruka arrived at the front door, he knocked. There's no answer. He knocked some more but Scathach did not answer. He checked the room number once again. It is the right room. He sighs. He had a feeling about what she wanted him to do. He grab the door handle and opened it. The door swung open like he suspected. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. Just as the door was closed, he quickly moved as his instinct screamed at him about an incoming danger.

He tilted his head slightly, making Gae Bolg missed by a few inches. He wuickly move his hand to grab the familiar spear before it was pulled back. Seeing his quick movement, Scathach smiled.

"Your senses haven't dulled, Haruka."

"Attacking me out of nowhere when we're supposed to have a friendly meeting, you really have not changed, master."

The master and pupil shared a smile. Scathach dismissed Gae Bolg and invited Haruka into her room. It is a room with a single large bed and on the bed are some clothes that she had thrown around haphazardly. Haruka blinked and look at Scathach. He was so focused about their reunion earlier that he forgot to point out something.

"Master, why are you only in your underwear?"

As Haruka pointed out, Scathach is clad only in her underwear, a black bra and panties that Haruka has to admit is very sexy on her. Any men who see her as she is right now would immediately fall for her, and Haruka is no different, except he had already fallen for her years ago.

"I figured it would be a good gift after what happened last night."

Haruka frowned when Scathach reminded him of his mission. It's not exactly something he felt should be rewarded. It was a disaster.

"It was a disaster, master. I don't feel I should be rewarded for that."

"The fact that you thought so is enough reason for me to reward you. You have grown. Not just physically but mentally as well. If it were the old you, you would have likely destroyed the whole city if it means completing your mission or let the battle drag longer so you can have fun. Sure, there is still room for improvement, there always is, but I'm happy with what I have seen so far."

Scathach told him as she walk closer to her apprentice until they are only inches away from each other. It has been a while since they're last this close. Haruka wanted nothing more than to hold her and kiss her now but he held himself back. His master is not done yet.

"Vasco have informed me about your mission so I came to see assess you. You've matured greatly from that angst-filled brat who demanded training from me. With that said, I came here to give you a gift."

Scathach then presented him with a long case that lies on the table beside the bed near the window. Judging from the length of the case and who he's talking to, Haruka knew that there is a weapon inside. He walk up to the case and opened it. Inside is a pair of platinum longswords. Their design are simple but elegant. The swords are thin and slender with flower motif. The blades themselves seem to shine in pale light as he pick them up. They are quite light but also balanced. Haruka took one sword and try swinging it. It is perfect.

"Try to connect the pommel together."

Scathach instructed. He grabbed the other sword and did as instructed. The swords suddenly changed into a long platinum spear in the shape of a smaller version of the sword as its head and its elongated hilt as its shaft. The spear is a head taller than himself. Haruka was awed by the transformation and craftsmanship. Then he felt something pricking him. He felt his finger being pricked and blood dripped out from the wound and to the weapon's shaft. When his blood touched the weapon, the spear glowed.

"Now that spear will only answer to you. It might not be Gae Bolg and it has no special power but it is as sharp and durable as any legendary weapon. It is the best weapon I can make without having the traits of legendary weapons. Now that it has registered your blood, it will only answer to you."

Haruka was speechless. His very own weapon. Sure it might not have any fancy power but it is a very well-crafted blade made by Scathach herself just for him. For Haruka, that in itself made the blade much more valuable to him than any other legendary weapon in the world.

"T-thank you, master. Thank you."

Haruka said as he embraced Scathach. She has no idea how much this meant to him. She had already granted him the use of Gate of Skye and now she gave him such precious swords? Words truly cannot describe how thankful he is to her.

"Scathach."

He called her by her name. He move closer and was about to kiss her but Scathach put a finger over his lips.

"Haruka, you know we can't. It won't work."

Haruka look down in disappointment. They had talked about this before. That their relation won't work. He never really understood why. She knew he has feelings for her and he knew she reciprocated them. After all, if she didn't, she would never have made love with him multiple times before. She would never have given him the Gate of Skye. Perhaps there are reasons he is not aware of but he will not pry. He respected her too much for that.

Scathach noticed his downtrodden expression. It truly made her sad to push him away without much explanation. She is truly fond of Haruka and if she were an ordinary woman, she would have been happy to be with him. If she were anyone else other than Scathach, the Queen of the Land of Shadow, she would've accepted his feeling with joy. Out of all her apprentice, Haruka is the one she is most fond of, even more than Setanta.

To think that the immature and volatile brat from nearly a decade ago could make her feel like this. She had not held any feeling other than professionalism for her apprentices since Setanta, until Haruka came that is. But she cannot grow too attached to him for the same reason she choose not to grow too attached to Setanta.

Because like she know that she will outlive him even if Setanta was a demigod, she also knew that he will outlive her despite being a human. After all, he is what she has been looking for. But perhaps, because of that, she wanted to make the best out of whatever time they have together.

Without even noticing it, Scathach's hand had reached up to him and pulled him into a kiss she denied him earlier. The apprentice's eyes widened, somewhat confused with his master's action but eventually ignore it in favor of enjoying the taste of her lips.

Whatever official business she wanted to tell him can wait. Her explanation can come at another time. For now, the master and apprentice simply wanted to enjoy the night of passion they are about to have.

* * *

-Kuoh, Japan-

Halfway across the world, far from the troubles in London, a meeting is taking place between two factions. Though it doesn't look much like one considering that both sides are filled with teenagers but it is an important one nonetheless considering who participated in this meeting that takes place in an old school building in Kuoh academy.

On one side is the devils represented by an up and coming peerage that is represented by an heiress to a pillar clan and a descendant of a maou. Sitting side by side is the King and Queen of said peerage, the Leviathan peerage. Ingvild Leviathan with only the protection of her trusted Queen, Rias Gremory, is currently meeting with some representatives of the Shinto faction.

Kuoh academy itself has several students affiliated with the Shinto faction being located in Japan and despite being of different faction, they cannot exactly refuse these Shinto faction students as they live in Kuoh for generations even before they came. Kuoh is their hometown and if the devils try to forcibly kick them out, there will be some repercussions.

But these people are different. They are not just some random low ranking people affiliated with the Shinto faction or even simple Onmyouji. These people are some of the most revered high-ranking people among the Shinto faction.

Sitting across the two devils are three representatives of the Shinto faction. One of them is a Miko who is part fallen angel. The other is a pureblooded youkai. The last is a human. But despite being the only human among his entourage, the two supernaturals appear to defer to him from what Ingvild and Rias could observe. He is only male and human in the room. By his looks alone, he is not impressive. He has brown hair and an average look with seemingly average build as typical to a Japanese teen. But looks can be deceiving if the other two defer to him.

"Once again, sorry for coming without notice but well, since we've finished cleaning our own backyard, Izanami-sama decided that it's time to establish proper relationship with our neighbor so she sent us here. So this is the part where we introduce ourselves."

The male started. He then gestured at his two companions to begin their introduction. The first to introduce herself is the oldest of the three. A busty miko with long black hair tied in a ponytail who has been showing a serene but somehow frightening smile.

"Konnichiwa, my name is Himejima Akeno, the Miko of Susanoo. I look forward to get to know each other better."

The Miko of Susanoo. That is not a title anyone can throw around so easily. Normal Miko usually introduce themselves along with the name of their shrine. If they introduce themselves with the name of their God, then they are the personal miko of said deity. And since she is the Miko of Susanoo, one of the Shinto Trinity, she is someone very important. She is one of the revered Sandai Miko of Japan.

The next to introduce herself is a young fox youkai also dressed in Miko outfit with the symbol of Abe no Seimei on her long sleeves. She has blonde hair with short ponytail and long bangs that frame her cute face. She appears to be the youngest of the three.

"My name is Kunou, the Kyoto heiress. I hope we can get along."

Short, simple, and filled with friendliness and a touch of vibrant smile. That is how Kunou like to introduce herself. And last but not least is their only male companion and presumably, their leader. It makes the devils wonder what kind of person he is if he is leading the two who are one of the Sandai Miko and the Kyoto Heiress. With his companions' introduction done, the boy introduce himself.

"I'm Hyoudou Issei, one of the ten Onmyouji Generals. It's nice to meet you two, Rias Gremory senpai, Ingvild Leviathan senpai."

* * *

 **Okay, this is longer than I expected but this concludes the Misty London arc. I'm surprised that this went on for so long but there are so many things to establish and the chapters themselves are longer than what I consider as my standard chapters. My standard chapters should be around 2000 words long, 3000 at most but ES chapters seems to go longer and longer as it goes. I hope this just means that I've improved a lot since the first time I write here.**

 **So, I don't have much to say other than about Valerie, Scathach, and Haruka. Valerie now have a split personality that she won't be telling anyone anytime soon. Originally, Tepes was supposed to disappear and Valerie reclaim her grail and experience. But since I have made an alter anyway, I thought that I should use her as something other than a simple antagonist we will never see anymore. The idea came from Rosario to Vampire, specifically how inner Moka and outer Moka coexist. In this case, they will be differentiated by style and name. When she is Valerie Nightroad, the default personality, she is nice and all and she acts and looks human. There are barely any traces of her vampire side. But when she is Valerie Tepes, her other self is in control and like we have seen, her other self is more aggressive and will fight and act like a vampire. I know I'm going to have a lot of fun with them.**

 **Next is Scathach and Haruka. Scathach might surprisingly not act like she does in Fate series but that is because she has a completely different story and goal here. That and she's somewhat softer. There will be more things I will reveal concerning Scathach here and her relation with Haruka but let's save that for later.**

 **Speaking of Haruka though, he acts like his age when he is around Scathach. That's a fun thing to write. Anyway, about his new swords. I did not describe them well but his swords' appearance is based on the Fragrant Olive Sword, which is Alice Synthesis Thirty's sword from SAO Alicization. I like that sword's design. His swords is that sword but platinum-colored. He can also transmute the two swords into a spear shaped exactly like the sword but its blade and crossguard became miniaturized while the hilt became longer. I decided to add this function because as an apprentice to Scathach, there is no way that he won't use a spear.**

 **There are still a lot more to introduce in the world of Ein Sof. The whole Book 1 is basically an introduction about everything in ES from the world, mechanics, politics, characters, and so many more. With the end of Misty London arc, this concluded the initial introduction of the Heaven side, though there are still many things to be covered and secrets to be revealed.**

 **Now we prepare ourselves for the start of the next arc, which should've been the Asia arc but since Asia is still with the church, technically, and back in Vatican, I might skip that arc. The Riser arc though, I'm not sure I will cover it much to the same length as this arc but I will use it to introduce the Issei side which is the Shinto side.**

 **So Issei have finally appeared and a general of all thing while Akeno is a legitimate Shinto faction miko. While it is not done yet, Ein Sof ZERO will cover how Issei manage to become a general. ES Zero takes place 3 years before Book 1 and will cover the Youkai Civil War.**

 **Another major change is that there is no Gremory peerage here but Ingvild Leviathan's peerage. I decided to make Ingvild as the King because I think that she has a lot more potential as a character with her background and character rather than Rias. Ingvild's peerage is basically Rias' original peerage in canon with some addition though. With that said, it will make the Riser arc much more different than canon.**

 **I think I've said a lot at this point. I hope I've done well with the story so far and now we're entering canon storyline and going to Kuoh. I'd appreciate some constructive criticism, though if it is about grammar then I'll say it right now. I failed my grammar class and have to retake it this semester.**


	24. File 24

**File 24: Players In The East**

 _-3 days ago-_

 _As an Onmyouji General, his duty had taken him to so many places all around Japan and sometimes into other places around East Asia. But out of all places, he did not expect his latest assignment from Izanami to be in his old hometown; Kuoh. Or that Izanami had repurchased his old house that his family sold after they moved to Tokyo years ago._

 _With the Youkai Civil War ended three years ago and all remnants of rogue youkai hunted, supernatural Japan has started to stabilize after more than a century of civil war. It took a while but things have calmed down to the point that high ranking fighters like him have very little thing to do. Since he is not needed in Tokyo, Izumo, or Kyoto, Izanami decided to give an unusual assignment to Issei._

 _Go to Kuoh and establish a working relationship with the devils. It is an unusual request since he is mainly a fighter and not a diplomat but Izanami told him that his main job is simply to ease them into the idea of a working relation. Besides, he has nothing to do other than training which he had been doing every waking moment when he's not on a mission._

 _Apart from that, they are also tasked with rejuvenating the Shinto Shrine there that had been abandoned for centuries. For this reason a miko must be sent alongside himself. Akeno was sent alongside Issei to Kuoh as the miko who would rejuvenate the shrine. Being the new Miko of Susanoo, it would be an easy task. Usually the Miko of Susanoo couldn't leave Tokyo which is their territory but since the defenses in Tokyo have not been repaired and Akeno has no reason to stay there, she was given the assignment, which she gladly takes._

 _Hearing that Issei and Akeno will be going to Kuoh, Kunou requested to be sent with them which Izanami easily agreed to, but now more. Besides, with Kunou being the heiress to the Kyoto Youkai sub-faction and the next Miko of Amaterasu that has traditionally been the Kyuubi ruler of Kyoto, the trip would do both their faction and Kunou herself some good by giving her some experience in inter-faction politics, or simply a taste of it. As the heiress of Kyoto Youkai faction, Kunou would need the experience._

 _And that is how it all leads to this._

 _The three Shinto agents are carrying cardboard boxes into the Hyoudou house from the moving truck. There are many things being moved as Issei had sold his house in Tokyo, not intending to return there no matter what. Ever since his parents' death when they were caught in the crossfire at the tail end of the Youkai Civil War, he had never once returned home, preferring to stay in his room in the Onmyouji Bureau HQ or in the guest room of his friends' place. He doesn't like to return to an empty house that reminds him of what happened to his parents. The old house in Kuoh at least will remind him of better times. Plus he won't be living there alone._

 _"Ise, I'll take the room next to yours, okay?"_

 _Kunou said as she carry her own things upstairs to where the bedrooms are while Issei and Akeno set up the kitchen and living room. Turning to the young fox youkai, Issei nodded._

 _"It is smaller than what you're used to but if you're fine with it then you can use it!"_

 _Kunou happily nodded and walk up the stairs. Issei return to setting up the living room just as Akeno finished setting up the kitchen. They have brought in the larger furniture and appliances first before putting in the smaller ones. After nearly two hours of hard work, most of the items have been moved and put into places._

 _Kunou came down after a while and by then, there are no more boxes or items left to move, except one. It is a large, thin, rectangular object that Issei had saved for last. It is probably a painting or a picture since Issei wouldn't need a mirror that large. They are sure it is one since Issei had deliberately set a space over the TV in the center of the living room big enough to fit a large picture._

 _When he yanked the piece of white cloth that covered the frame, they finally saw what picture it is and the two gasped. He then placed the picture over the TV in the living room and smiled. The two can't help but smile together with him as they look at the picture._

 _It is a picture all three of them remember well. It was taken three years ago in the Tsuchimikado mansion dojo in Tokyo where the used to train during the Youkai Civil War. It depicted the ten close friends and their teachers back when Akeno first coined their club before the Assault on Tokyo. There are twelve people on the picture. It's hard to believe sometimes that half of them died during the Civil war._

 _Kunou's eyes went to the part that Issei is most focused on. The center of the picture where four teens are posing together. Kunou herself are part of the four with one of them being Issei himself but younger. Kunou knew that the boy is focusing on the other two though._

 _The central part of the picture depicts a red haired girl with a side ponytail at the center making a peace sign while winking. On the girl's left side is a black haired girl who is smiling only slightly while looking to the side but Kunou knew that the girl is actually very happy. To the red haired girl's right is Issei himself who looks exasperated but enjoying himself nonetheless. Then smiling under the red haired girl while making a double peace sign is Kunou herself. A bit behind them is Akeno who is wearing her usual normal smile looking amused._

 _To the left side is a group of three teens who have been childhood friends. One of them is a tall girl with long dirty blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wields a katana inside a white sheath while posing like a cool swordswoman. Standing back to back with the swordswoman is a handsome boy with blonde hair. While the blonde girl poses with a katana, the boy poses with an ofuda in his hand. In front of the two of them is a young girl with long dark hair in hime cut wearing a miko uniform like Akeno and posing with a bow._

 _To the right side of the picture is two girls who have been so close to each other that they are practically sisters even if they are not related by blood. The older of the two is surprising the shorter of them, about as tall as Kunou. The short girl has short brown hair decorated with two buns. She looks energetic, much like their own redhead, and is making a peace sign at the camera. The taller girl is a gentle-looking blonde miko with long hair who is standing behind the shorter girl with a smile that can put anyone at ease._

 _Lastly, standing at opposite corners of the picture is their original teachers. One is a black haired man in a suit with a katana sheathed beside his waist. The other is a miko with short dark hair and a big smile._

 _These are the original members of what was called as the Hero Club back then. By order of introduction, they are Takashima Yuuna, Koori Chikage, Hyoudou Issei, Kunou, Himejima Akeno, Nogi Wakaba, Tsuchimikado Harutora, Uesato Hinata, Doi Tamako, Iyojima Anzu, Yaegaki Masaomi, and Shiratori Utano. The twelve of them are very close friends. But to think that half of them died during the Youkai Civil War, it is still hard to believe sometimes._

 _"With this everything is perfect."_

 _Issei said with a smile reminiscent to the one worn by the red haired girl in the picture. His two friends nodded in agreement, smiling at the fond memories they remembered when seeing the picture._

* * *

-Present-

"And so with that, we'll be in your care from now on. It's nice to talk to you two, Leviathan-senpai, Gremory-senpai, even if it is just formalizing our stay here. I'll see you around. Ohh and I hope you guys can give some thought on my request. I'd appreciate that."

Hyoudou Issei said his piece and stand up followed by Kunou and Akeno. He gave them a two finger salute as he left the clubroom together with his friend with Akeno giving one last courteous bow before closing the door behind them, thus formally ending their short meeting.

Ingvild watch as the Shinto trio left the clubroom that served as her peerage's base. It was quite a tense meeting despite the simplicity of it, though the only ones who felt tense are Ingvild and Rias themselves. That was their first diplomatic meeting with high ranking members of another faction and it gave them some learning experience in interacting with such people.

Thankfully, nothing happened that could jeopardize whatever relation they have with the Shinto faction, which is to say barely anything.

For more than a century, Japan have closed their supernatural border for one reason or another and barely anything came in or out of their territory… well, not really. There was one pair of sisters that became somewhat of a refugee in Kuoh around three years ago that became part of her peerage. Through them, Ingvild did learn that there was indeed a civil war going on in Japan between loyalist youkai who sided with Takamagahara and the unified evil youkai.

Tokyo itself became a battlefield three years ago and that was when her peerage member lost their parents and had to run to Kuoh to escape the civil war. Unfortunately, that's as far as her peerage knew as she was only a civilian back then and not closely involved with either side. She was only a middle school student back then and had been focusing more on protecting her sister, both of them barely made it out alive from the battlefield with the younger being very traumatized.

That alone was plenty enough information though and Ingvild brought it up to the maou. At least they became aware of why Japan closed down their borders. All that's left is to see which side won when the civil war was over and the borders were opened once again. And when they did, Japan's supernatural side had changed very much according to what she heard from maou Serafall Leviathan.

When official notice was released by the Shinto faction that there was a civil war and that is the cause of the closing of their borders as well as the various changes in administrations, everyone was not very surprised, that is until they saw who made the notice and sat as the current leader of the Shinto faction. It was none other than the only known Yomotsugami, Izanami no Mikoto herself, but according to the elders, she is in her Kotoamatsukami form which is radically different from her Yomotsugami form.

Normally, a civil war that result in the change of leadership is not much to take note of. Even the devils themselves have undergone one that gave birth to their current society which people in the know unofficially dubbed as New Devils. But according to Serafall, there is something more to it than just a simple civil war.

For one thing, there was nothing that happened in Japan before that could indicate the start of the civil war. Another thing is that the report released by the Shinto faction did not go into detail and did not say what happened to the rest of Takamagahara, only that Izanami no Mikoto had sided with Takamagahara and is now their representative. Ever since the report was released, nobody had seen any Amatsukami or other Kotoamatsukami other than Izanami.

There are speculations that Izanami escaped Yomi and exacted vengeance upon Takamagahara and established herself as empress. It makes sense as many knew the story of Izanagi and Izanami and Izanami's curse but there are no ways to confirm whether this is true or not because the Shinto faction as a whole seems to accept her as their leader.

And that is why Ingvild was under order to establish a good rapport with the Shinto faction representatives that Izanami had sent. To find out more about what happened in the past century since Japan closed off their borders. The first step to do that is to get to know them better.

"So those are the representatives of the Shinto faction. What do you think about them, Rias?"

Ingvild asked her queen and best friend. The crimson haired ruin princess have a thoughtful look, having observed the three representatives during their short talk which simply consists of formal introductions and telling them that they will be setting up shop in the academy.

"They are interesting people. The fox girl, Kunou, is everything we expect the princess of Kyoto to be. Her friends though are not as simple. You felt it, right? The miko did not try to hide it. She has fallen angel blood in her."

Ingvild nodded. That was a surprise when they noticed it. Everyone in the supernatural world has a distinct presence to them, a passive aura let out by the power they leak from their body that can be felt through a sixth sense every supernaturally involved people developed or already possessed in case of supernatural species.

These aura always have a distinct taste to each of them determined by the kind of power they wield and how powerful they are with it. The older miko, Himejima Akeno, has a rather sizable presence of fallen angel power in addition to her divine power that came from her role as a miko. With how powerful her fallen angel power is, she must be a child of a fallen and human or at least the grandchild since her blood is not as diluted as with further generations.

"And that human. He hid it very well and if it weren't for my sacred gear, I wouldn't have noticed. He has a dragon-type sacred gear and he is hiding it well."

That took Rias by surprise. She had not noticed. But if even Ingvild could barely feel the presence of a dragon in him when her power has such great connection with dragons, he must be either very weak with his power or… he is very skilled to the point of being able to conceal much of his power. Judging from his position as an Onmyouji General though, Rias suspect that it is the latter.

The Shinto faction have certainly sent some colorful characters into Kuoh.

"What to make of this? Kunou and Hyoudou aside, Himejima is at least a half fallen, our enemy, but she belongs to the Shinto faction and not Grigori."

"I think for now we should ignore her fallen angel side. Our orders still stand."

"That's right. I suppose we have to inform Sona about what we talked about here. Let's go, Rias."

The King and Queen then left the clubroom to talk with Sona Sitri in the Student Council room. They have things to discuss… particularly that odd request from Hyoudou about establishing his own school club.

* * *

"That was simpler than I thought."

Issei said as he and his two friends walk past the shopping district each with a taiyaki in hand. The three of them have talked with the devils presiding over the town of Kuoh and personally, Issei think that all of them have made a good enough impression on each other. For one thing, they did not end up blasting each other once they finished their talk. For Issei, that is a success.

It has been three days since they moved in to Kuoh town, or move back in his case. At first, he was a bit surprised that despite being part of Japan, Kuoh town is a devil territory instead of Shinto territory. Apparently some kind of deal was made in the past with the devils but the details concerning the why is unknown.

It was a deal made centuries ago and the younger generation have accepted that Kuoh=Devil territory as a fact that hardly anyone asked the question though even if asked, those who actually knew why are absent so nobody can really answer it. Even the previous caretaker of the town, Cleria Belial, who is now one of their own, did not know how Kuoh actually became devil territory.

Either way, it is a fact that Kuoh is devil territory. Although the Shinto faction still have some leeway in entering and exiting the town unlike other factions considering that the town is a Japanese town. In their case, Izanami had informed the maou in charge of foreign affairs, Serafall Leviathan, that they will be coming as representatives of their faction. It is strange that they need permission to step into a Japanese town but that's just how it works.

"It's not like we came here to pick a fight."

Kunou said in between bites. Contrary to her expectation, the meeting itself felt like a normal introduction than a formal meeting between two factions. It actually felt like that time when Akeno and her junior miko, Anzu and Tama, first came to the clubroom. The setting of their meeting probably have something to do with that image though.

"Right. So, what is your impression of them then?"

Issei asked. Kunou thought for a bit. To be honest, there's not much she can say about the two devils they met. She can tell that both are powerful in their own right but… after their experience in the Youkai Civil War against many ultimate-class opponents and even one or two god-class opponents, a couple of prodigious devils doesn't really leave much of an impression on her. While Kunou did not get much impression from them though, Akeno certainly did.

"They actually reminded me of Harutora-kun and Wakaba-chan these days"

Akeno said. Her opinion made Issei and Kunou stop in their track and look at her oddly. Those two reminded Akeno of their two friends? While the two were puzzled, Akeno remembered what she knew of Ingvild Leviathan and Rias Gremory.

According to what they know from their allies in Grigori and from Cleria herself, Ingvild Leviathan is a half-blooded descendant of the original Leviathan. Meaning she is part human and she is rumored to possess a powerful sacred gear. According to Cleria who had met seen Ingvild a few times before, she lost both her parents at a young age and was found by Serafall Leviathan. Recently, she had been adopted by the maou Leviathan as her daughter and has begun gathering her own peerage.

The first to join her peerage is surprisingly the daughter of the Gremory family; Rias Gremory. Ingvild and Rias are childhood friends and very close. Cleria had said that she had never seen one without the other nearby and apparently their friendship still remain strong even now.

It might not be similar but Akeno could see the same light in their eyes that she sees in both Harutora and Wakaba nowadays. Ingvild desires something and Rias will be with her all the way to the end, just like Harutora and Wakaba. And if they are like their two friends from the impression Akeno got, she knew that their time in Kuoh will be very interesting. As they say, fortune favors the bold and with a collection of people like them and her and her friends around, she knew it's only a matter of time before things began to happen.

"Speaking of which, we still have to check that shrine Izanami-sama told us about, right? Since we have some free time, why don't we go check it out?"

Kunou suddenly proposed. Seeing nothing wrong with the idea, Issei agreed. They turn to Akeno who nodded since she has to start working on that particular request anyway and it's as good a time as any. Finishing their taiyaki, Akeno led her friends to where the shrine is. As with many other shrines, it is located on top of a small mountain and this one is located at the edge of the town. They have to climb a lot of stairs to reach it.

According to Izanami, the shrine have been abandoned for centuries and there is a mild spell that keeps normal people away from it. Akeno herself didn't know much about the place, just that one of the Sandai Miko used to live in the area before the land was given to the devils. She suspect that something had happened here that made their faction gave the land to the devils.

But just like many other records that were lost due to the Civil War, the info about the town and the shrine is also lost so she has no way of really knowing what happened here… unless she asked Izanami herself. But getting her to be bluntly honest with any of them is frankly impossible. She prefer that they figure things out by themselves and merely confirm whether they are doing things right or not.

As the three climb the stairs that leads to the shrine, Akeno took note of how neglected the whole mountain is. Plus there is youki polluting the air around them. Whatever happened here in the past, it must be the work of a daiyoukai if the youki still lingered even after centuries. Being left alone also doesn't help the condition. If they were normal humans, they would've choked on the youki alone. The presence of a daiyoukai can be suffocating to those who are not capable to handle it. That means the first thing she would need to do after setting up here is to purify the land.

"This youki, if it is still this thick even after centuries, it must belong to a daiyoukai on the same level as Ibaraki Douji or Emperor Sutoku at least."

Kunou said. Issei nodded in agreement. He and his friends have fought Ibaraki Douji and Emperor Sutoku during the Civil War. They are some of the most powerful youkai they have ever encountered and Issei could still remember how afraid he was when those daiyoukai began to take them seriously. Even Wakaba and Harutora, some of their most powerful members back then, tremble in the daiyoukai's presence. Though the only one who remains unintimidated no matter what is Yuuna.

Despite the pain and fear he associated with those memories, Issei can't help but smile as he remember those times. Even those hardships have become a fond memory of their time as a team.

"Ahh, we're here!"

Akeno announced. They have reached the top of the mountain where the shrine is. As expected, the place is in ruin and the youki is thickest there. The whole shrine building has been destroyed and as veterans of the Civil War, all three of them could see that it was destroyed as the result of a battle, possibly between the daimiko and daiyoukai.

"We will need several shikigami if we are to ever fix this."

Issei muttered. Knowing what they have to do and since it is better to start soon than wait, they each took out several basic shikigami talismans from their ofuda pouch that every onmyouji must have. Creating several basic paper shikigami to help them clear the shrine, all of them began working.

* * *

 **Right, this is shorter than the previous chapters because this is the introduction chapter to the Eastern side of the story, or should I say the devil and Shinto side. Anyway, in this story, Issei and Akeno are part of the Shinto faction and there was a Youkai Civil War in Japan. Due to this, the Shinto faction close down their borders as the war goes on. Of course, there is more to this than a simple civil war but it will be revealed later on. But for those who wanted to know, read ES Zero, the prequel story that will cover the entirety of the Youkai Civil War.**

 **Now first, I want to say a few things about the Shinto faction which is undeveloped in canon. Because of that, to develop the Shinto faction here, I have used a number of series and blend them together to become the Shinto faction of Japan alongside the real legends itself. Two such major materials are Tokyo Ravens and Yuuki Yuuna wa Yuusha de aru, though the Yuusha series I use is the Nogi Wakaba generation, though I'll discuss that when the characters actually appear. Anyway, in here, Issei is part of the Shinto faction. For the how, refer to prequel story. Not much to say other than those for now.**

 **Next is the devils. With Issei not being a devil (and never will in this story) I need an interesting character to serve as protagonist for the devil side. I have considered actually putting Sairaorg as Kuoh's administrator but then I remembered a certain maou descendant similar to Vali who is, if I have to be honest, not effectively utilized. So I decided to use Ingvild Leviathan here where she is adopted by Serafall and have Rias as her Queen. I have thought about the reverse where Ingvild took Akeno's position as Queen but after I reviewed canon materials and saw how... disappointing Rias has been as a King (seriously, Rias is King only as formality. Issei have been taking charge and leading them to victory since he obtained BxB) I decided to modify Ingvild's personality so she has some backbone and make her as King instead. Of course, with Ingvild as King, Rias will need to grow some backbone too so expect them to be unlike their canon selves and dangerous. Of course, with Ingvild as King, the Riser arc will be very different than usual. Other than that, Ingvild's peerage is basically the same as Rias'.**


	25. File 25

**File 25: Ingvild Leviathan**

It has been four days since their meeting with the Shinto faction representatives. Despite expectations on what is to come with their arrival, things actually ended up normally with no incident, not even a minor conflict. Well, there is that one time where a moderate amount of magic was detected in the forest area near the border but that was because the Shinto faction is reclaiming one of their own abandoned shrine.

That part of Kuoh is a rather odd place. There are lots of youki in the air around there but there are no signs of youkai at all throughout the years. Usually, stray youkai or even youkai in general will be drawn to a place where there are lots of youki around but there are no sighting of youkai for many years around Kuoh, not even stray ones. Hell, not even stray devils go there!

Ingvild was curious about that place and did enter the shrine area once to investigate but despite the thick youki, she and her peerage couldn't find anything out of place. It is rather odd but that matter is no longer in her hand. The shrine and its territory have now been returned to the Shinto faction. That is now their problem… as well as their official embassy office.

Right now her concern is her own territory. Though that said, there is nothing much going on right now. Nothing important or pressing that needs her immediate attention. That means her job today is simple contracts and patrols. Right now she is looking through the contracts they made today. Since there are no contracts that directly request her that means she will be on patrol duty, as like most times.

It's not that she's unpopular but to contract her for a day is quite expensive, especially if it is only for mundane tasks, so usually those who do contract her needed some help with a more serious problem. Most of the time, it involves her being a supernatural detective to solve unnatural cases that can't be left to normal authority. Though that doesn't mean she doesn't get clients that requested minor things but those are fewer in numbers and are usually people who have too much money in their hand and don't know what to do with it.

So most of the time, she was the one saddled with the job to patrol the city. She can't just sit around and do nothing… actually, she could do that but after three days of no contracts and just waiting around for her peerage to finish their contract, she got the idea to patrol. Even if it is just a glorified midnight stroll, it is much better than sitting around doing nothing and it lets her stretch her leg. Not like it's useless anyway. She had personally stopped five infiltrations by stray devils in this month alone, and it's only been half a month!

"There are no contracts that requested me and most of these are the usual. That means first come first serve. So who wanted to skip out today?"

Ingvild asked her peerage who are currently sitting on the sofa in front of her desk.

Being a relatively young devil, Ingvild hadn't completed her peerage yet and as a result, she has only a few members in her peerage. But even if they are few in number, Ingvild had made sure that all of them are very capable, and he does mean VERY capable. After all, the peerage is a reflection of their King. As someone who will become a Maou in the future, she made sure that her peerage would reflect her ambition. They are her pride and joy. Her comrades. The only other peerage she knew that train harder than them is Sairaorg Bael's peerage and that said something.

"Ooh! Pick me nya~! Let me patrol with you, nya!"

Of course, the first person to try getting out of doing a contract is the most popular out of them all and the one who received the most contract. The one who raised her arm up is the first Rook of Ingvild's peerage. She is a tall and busty young woman with long black hair and a pair of cat ears on top of her head. There is also a black tail peeking out of her skirt as she jumped up and down, trying to get Ingvild to pick her. All in all, she is a nekomata that fits the very definition of a Cheshire cat and the mood maker of the group, Toujou Kuroka.

"Nee-san, no. You already skipped out these past two days. You are not allowed to skip another."

"Ehh, but Shirone, all the contracts I kept getting are perverts who want to see me in cosplay nya! Please give your nee-san a break nya!"

The second rook of the peerage and the one who pulled Kuroka's tail to force her to sit down is a short girl with shoulder-length white hair and a stoic expression. As can be guessed by her calling Kuroka as 'nee-san' she is Kuroka's little sister, Toujou Shirone. She is also a nekomata like her sister but unlike Kuroka who let her ears and tail out in full display, Shirone tend to hide her nekomata features unless she is in battle. She was shy about her nekomata features due to a past incident with human children but had since got over it although she still prefer hiding her nekomata features, mostly due to doing it for so long that it's just instinct to her.

"Muu~ Just because you like being told to do cosplay doesn't mean that I do, Shirone! You got the same kind of contracts I do and sometimes even more than me nya! It's her fault isn't it?! Sera-tan had managed to corrupt you, didn't she nya?!"

Kuroka pointed at Shirone who refused to look at her in the eyes. A tinge of red adorned her cheek and it is all Kuroka needed to confirm that yes, Shirone had been corrupted by their master's adoptive mother.

"Maa maa, calm down Kuroka-san. Besides, Shirone-chan is right. You have skipped out for two days straight. I know that you don't like the requests you are getting but it is still our job."

A blonde young man try to pacify Kuroka who is getting too worked up. The handsome blonde man is Kiba Yuuto, currently the only Knight of the peerage and the only former human among them. Ingvild met him during one of her trips in Europe. Needless to say that it was a very interesting day to her where she was almost killed by a powerful exorcist.

"Ufufu, Yuu-senpai is right. You can't skip out on our job everyday, Kuro-chan. Besides, cosplay is not all that bad. Although we do get a large number of those requests. I wonder why?"

An unnaturally feminine voice said to Kuroka. The owner of said voice is a red eyed girl around Shirone's height with long blonde hair and pointy ears. Out of all of them, she is the only one who is not wearing the school uniform but instead a blood red frilly gothic dress that would fit on a high born young noble from a fantasy story… except she is not actually a 'she'.

'She' is the only bishop in the peerage and is actually a boy one year younger than Kiba. His long hair is actually an extension and his voice is actually modified through extensive training in a specific part of shapeshifting, namely his voice box. His name is Gasper Vladi and is perhaps the most eccentric person in Ingvild's peerage. She wouldn't ignore the possibility of an even more eccentric person joining her peerage but Ingvild hoped that Gasper will actually be the most eccentric individual in her peerage. She simply can't imagine worse.

"Shut up you damn trap nya! It's all your fault that most of the contracts we got are about cosplay!"

Ingvild sighs. That is true. The influx on cosplay request came only after she forced Gasper to actually do contracts in person instead of through computers. To think that he used to be a very shy boy who hides in a cardboard box when she first found him. That was the last time she ever requested her adoptive mother for help in dealing with her peerage member's personal problems.

"I blame myself for ever entrusting him to be educated by mother."

Ingvild muttered to herself. She is very grateful to Serafall Leviathan for taking her in after she lost her parents to an attack by her aunt (?) Katerea. Some years ago, the Old Satan faction is gathering their power and are in the process of recruiting devils who follow the old regime. With her father being the descendant of the Maou Leviathan, he was of course approached by his fellow descendant, Katerea Leviathan. But her father is more content with living in peace with his family and refused. Not taking the refusal very well, Katerea killed his wife, Ingvild's mother, and tried to kill her and her father.

Her father managed to fend off their attacker for a while but Katerea was not alone. She had the help of Shalba Beelzebub and Creuzery Asmodeus. While her father is actually stronger than any of them individually, he couldn't fight all three of them and their forces alone on top of protecting her. When her father fell, Ingvild unleashes her sacred gear. The immense power of her heritage and sacred gear combined managed to injure many of them and push back the other descendants but since she was so young back then, she doesn't possess the power to fight them back.

But her burst of power did destroy their barrier and caught the attention of Serafall Leviathan who arrived just in time to rescue her. She was then adopted by her and since then, she had been grateful to her adoptive mother… when she's not in her crazy mood or trying to corrupt her peerage.

"…Kuroka, just complete your contracts. No more patrols for you this week or the next. Rias, you're with me today."

"There's never a boring day with every around, isn't it, Ingvild?"

Rias Gremory, the Queen of the peerage and Ingvild's childhood friend chuckled. It is times like these that makes Rias glad that she accepted the offer to join Ingvild's peerage to help her achieve her dream instead of starting her own. Yes, there's never a boring day with the Leviathan peerage.

* * *

Her patrols are glorified night strolls. If anyone were to say that to Ingvild, she wouldn't mind because most of the time, it is. At least it beats sitting in an empty clubroom doing nothing other than fiddling with her phone. It's unproductive.

Devils are creatures of darkness and even as a half, she always find herself more active at night than at day. Back when she was a child, it became a problem where she prefer sleeping in the morning but became very active at night, unable to sleep until dawn.

It is one of the more minor problems also experienced by reincarnated devils and other dark creatures who are part human or trying to live in human society. The difference in biological clock is not a hard one to overcome but even then, it never really go away.

Which is why Ingvild love her midnight stroll. It is a way for her to spend her energy and it help her fall asleep easier when she came home. Of course, simply walking around town, even running one lap around Kuoh won't even spend much of her energy, but it would at least stretch her muscles.

Besides, she's not just simply walking around. During patrols, she also expand her senses so she could detect anything that tries to infiltrate Kuoh. It is good training and now she is the best sensor in her peerage, surpassing even Kuroka who used to be the best sensor. It certainly helps with her magical control and whenever her control increases, the range of her senses also increase.

Right now, all her peerage members apart from Rias are working on their contracts. The new contract system Gasper setup online for Kuoh has made it easier to sort through contracts based on importance. It is a new system made so they won't have to give out summoning papers everyday and accept random contracts without knowing what it is.

Contracts in Kuoh are now done through website and an application downloaded through the client's phone. The client now simply need to open the website in the morning up until noon and write down their name, request, the devil they pick to do their request, and their email address.

The request will then be sorted through and priced based on the task and the devil picked and an email will be sent back to the client containing a barcode they have to scan using an application they have to download in their phone. The email will also have their turn number and the app will show whether the devil is done with their previous job or not. When their turn number lights up, the client can summon the devil. If the client can't wait for their turn and want to cancel, they could simply click on the cancel button. If they summoned the devil but wanted to cancel their request, they will still have to pay though.

Now this is where things gets a bit more complicated in the technical side. Once the barcode have been scanned, the summoning circle of the devil will be sent to their phone. The specialized app will then gather mana in the air to summon the devil. This is an experimental technology developed by Ajuka Beelzebub when the idea was brought up to him. It took him thousands of destroyed phone to get this idea to work.

Eventually, they managed to complete the app but its effectiveness is still shaky. There is a risk of overloading the phone that summons them if the summoning is done from a faraway place. So far, the summoning app can only summon a devil from inside the same city as the app user. That means this system cannot be used to summon a devil from the Underworld or another city, which also means that it cannot be used for major contracts. But it is useful for minor ones and minor contracts are always the hardest to sort through due to the number and scheduling.

Even as devils, they have to keep up with the time. For now, the website and app is only available in Kuoh town as most of the programs and ideas are still experimental. The website and app are now on version 3.04 with more updates and patches coming in the near future. The original version managed to destroy five phones in one day alone and as the responsible party, Ingvild and Sona had to compensate their clients with a new phone everytime it happened.

Well progress only happens through trials and errors.

Ingvild walk around some more. It's only a bit past eleven which means she has around three hours until everyone finish their contract for the night. Minor contracts can usually take up from twenty to forty minutes and they usually start at ten. Properly managing their schedule is important.

The devil expand her senses bit by bit as she moves. Right now, her senses could detect every supernatural presence in the north-east side of Kuoh. She could sense Shirone and Gasper along with two other familiar devils belonging to the Sitri family in the area doing contract. She didn't detect any problem so far and since there's no large spike in magical presence at the southern side of the town, Rias is also having a peaceful night.

Ingvild kept walking, expanding her detection range as she goes until she could reach her limit. Her limit is judged by how far she can sense things to a certain level of sensitivity. If her sensitivity dropped below a certain level, then that means it is her optimum range. A month ago, her optimum range is only a sixth of Kuoh. Right now, her optimum range is nearing a quarter. At this range, she can even sense the presence of people trying to suppress their supernatural power.

As Ingvild entered the north-western side of the town, she felt a presence of an incoming stray devil. Ingvild sighed. Tonight is not going to be as peaceful as she thought. Then again, that is the point of a patrol. Pinpointing the stray devil's presence in her extra sense, the Leviathan rushed to where the stray is located. Added by the knowledge of the geography, she only needed a second to know that the stray is located in the abandoned warehouse near the edge of town.

Leaping over rooftops, she rushed to where her target is and prepare for battle. From its presence alone, she knows that this stray is moderately strong. It is not something she cannot handle. She doesn't even need to use her sacred gear to kill this one. But just in case, she will go full power with her bloodline magic and…

'…what?'

Ingvild blinked when there's a very brief spike in power near her target and then presence of the stray devil suddenly disappeared. She landed in front of the abandoned warehouse where the stray devil was. She couldn't feel its presence anymore and she doubted that a stray has the necessary mental capacity to use any kind of presence concealment skill so it has likely been killed by someone else. All the devils are accounted for and there is no need for any of them to hide their presence from her sensing so who…

"Ahh, konbanwa, Ingvild-senpai."

A familiar voice greeted her. From inside the warehouse, two figure walked out, still dressed in Kuoh academy uniform. The two are none other than Kunou and Hyoudou Issei, the Shinto agents. The one who greeted her was none other than Hyoudou Issei. She allowed him to call her using her first name because he once called her 'Leviathan-senpai' at school, which he shouldn't have done because she is using an alias. At school, her name is supposed to be Ingvild Redheart.

Unlike Rias who didn't change her name at all or Sona who simply modify her name, Ingvild has to change her surname being what it is. Unlike the pillars, even a normal human would be able to recognize her name if they have even a superficial knowledge of western supernatural.

"Good night, Hyoudou-san, Kunou-san. Umm, did you by chance saw any stray devil around here?"

She asked politely despite knowing that they have most likely eliminated her target. Ingvild is still not sure how to interact with them, especially Issei who is too friendly in her opinion. Something is definitely off with him.

"The stray devil? Ise killed it earlier. We found it entering the town when we were walking back from the shrine. I have to say, you do respond quickly. It hasn't even been ten minutes since the stray came. You are taking good care of this town."

Kunou said with a tone of approval while nodding to Ingvild. Now that she mentioned it, the Shinto shrine is nearby so it's no surprise to find them here. As she heard it, it seems that only the Miko of Susanoo is staying in the shrine while the Kyoto Princess and the Onmyouji General are living together in a house closer to their school.

There is definitely something more going on with them, as in with Kunou and Issei. While all three of them appear to be good friends, Issei and Kunou are definitely closer with each other than they are with Akeno. In fact, whenever she saw Issei at school, Kunou will always be nearby.

"We've been entrusted with this territory by your faction. The least we could do is protect the normal people living here from any supernatural threats."

Ingvild replied sincerely. It is her honest feeling. It is an unspoken rule that the supernatural and mundane world should be kept as separate as possible. Each world's problem is their own. It is her duty as the owner of Kuoh's supernatural side to keep that boundary and she takes her job seriously. This earned her the approval of the two Shinto faction agents. It is good that Ingvild is responsible. After all, the normal humans living here in Kuoh are still their people, Japanese people. While the supernatural side of the populace is subjected to the Devils' rule while in this town, the mundane side does not. There are some territory lords that think of it like that and ignore things when the supernatural side prey on the mundane side. Ingvild is thankfully not one of those irresponsible lord.

"I say you are doing a good job, at least better than some."

Kunou muttered the second part of her sentence. She then proceed to rant about something to herself. Something about Karasu Tengu and idiots. Ingvild ignore her mutterings. It sounds like it is a private grievance.

"Anyway, Ingvild-senpai, thanks for speaking to Sitri-senpai about our club establishment. I really appreciate it."

Issei bowed to her, surprising the devil since she doesn't think that what she did is something noteworthy. Then again, Issei seems to be that polite. She recalled him saying something about always giving people a good greeting.

"I don't think it's something you need to thank me for. It's just a club."

"Even so, I really appreciate it."

Issei looked very thankful to her and it makes her feel awkward to be so sincerely thanked like that, and she knows how sincere Issei is. Sincerity is a very rare commodity among devils after all. As she thought, she really is not sure on how to handle Issei.

Ingvild didn't notice that when Issei mentioned about their 'club' Kunou's expression became sorrowful. The youkai princess quickly hid her emotion when Ingvild turn to her to look for a way out.

"Anyway Kunou-san, thank you for taking care of the stray devil. I'll go in and check the corpse, just for formality. I'll leave you two to your midnight date then!"

Ingvild hurriedly said as she rush into the warehouse, missing the interesting change in expression Kunou underwent for a moment. The Onmyouji General blinked and look back at the direction Ingvild went.

"What is wrong with her?"

"Nothing. She just want to do her job so let's just leave her to it. Let's go, Ise."

Kunou said as she walk away from the warehouse with Issei following from behind.

Inside the warehouse, Ingvild had found the corpse of the stray devil, or what's left of it anyway, which is pretty much nothing. There's very little damage inside the warehouse and the only sign that there's a stray devil here is only its lingering demonic presence and several small cuts laced with small demonic power, likely caused by some kind of bladed organs. Stray devils with mutated body tend to have limbs that became something else. It's honestly creepy and show her the danger of drowning in demonic power.

Other than that, the stray devil had been totally obliterated. It must've taken an instance with how little damage there is to the warehouse. The stray was probably finished in a single blow that completely erased it from existence. But what kind of power did Issei use to destroy it? She knew that he possess some kind of draconic power, likely a sacred gear. So she focus her senses and try to feel any draconic power in the area.

And that was when she realized, that she is only feeling demonic energy inside the warehouse. And it took her another moment to realize another thing.

She never felt the two agents' presence even when she was talking to them.

'Just what kind of people did the Shinto faction send here?'

* * *

 **Right, here is the introduction to the Leviathan peerage and a random idea I have about the contract system they are using here. It is honestly just a random idea since people seems to use apps for everything these days. Back in my time, we took the time to actually do stuff ourselves... wait, I'm not that old.**

 **Anyway, the Leviathan peerage consists of Rias' canon peerage plus Kuroka. With Ingvild's different history, I'm trying to portray her as a protagonist type of character who actually bother to do things by herself unlike Rias in canon who kept problems piling up and let it be solved by Issei. Though the effectiveness of her solutions are questionable since sending Gasper to Serafall to teach him some confidence ended up with, well, that. Now Gasper is not just a crossdressing boy but a chuunibyou vampire who dresses like noble FEMALE vampires. He is still a boy but Serafall, in the process of upgrading his confidence, also upgrade his roleplaying and crossdressing level. Ingvild gets more headache.**

 **I'm sorry that I have to do much modification with Ingvild's personality but I can't really use a doormat or a side heroine as a protagonist so I have to work a bit on her. In exchange though, all devil side story arcs will revolve around her and her peerage and she will earn it. Like AX and Haruka is the main group and protagonist in the Heaven side arcs and Issei with the Hero Club is the main group and protagonists in the Shinto side arcs, Ingvild and her peerage will be the main group for devil arcs. I also already have groups prepared for other mythology-specific arc but they are minor compared to these main groups. Lastly, I need a group and protagonist for the Fallen Angel side. While the group has been determined using some canon fallen angels, the protagonist will, unfortunately, need to be an OC because other than the cadre, we have no notable fallen angels in canon around the same age as the main group. Tobio is part of the Shinto faction here in case anyone want to point him out. Anyway, for the Leviathan peerage.**

 **There's not much change with Kuroka. She is still her mischievous self and gets along well with the rest of the peerage since she didn't get an asshole for a master. Shirone though is pretty mush still Koneko but with different problems, one that I mentioned in the revised version of File 24 since I forgot that the two cats are in the peerage.**

 **Kiba is still the same for the most part but more genuinely friendly. How Ingvild met him is also different from how Rias met Kiba because unlike with Rias, Ingvild actually met an exorcist, a powerful one that could've killed her, but didn't due to reasons. That encounter will cause some changes in Kiba, especially since we know that Tosca is currently active in AX and, a spoiler but rather obvious, she will be dispatched to Kuoh to deal with the Kokabiel matter.**

 **By the way, I'm thinking of pairing the blonde handsome bastard with both Shirone and Tosca. Any opinion about that? I thought that Tsubaki's crush on Kiba in canon kinda came out of nowhere and to be very honest, when I first started out DxD and only knew S1 and S2 of the anime, I thought there was something between Kiba and Koneko. I mean Koneko must've thought of him as something since she went behind Rias' back to help Kiba during the Excalibur arc.**

 **Now as for Rias. While she will be stronger, more competent, and more active in the peerage compared to canon as the Queen, I'm still working on her overall character and role in the story. She will be more driven and takes more initiative than she did in canon because honestly, in canon, she is just a glorified battery with no real importance other than being a pretty face. Well not with me here. If she want some screen time in my story then she better be ready to shed blood to earn it and feel some tragedies. It's my policy.**

 **This arc will be an intro arc for the Leviathan peerage. Originally, I planned for this to be the intro for the Shinto side team and have Issei help Rias with the Riser problem in some way as climax to this arc but that was before I got the idea of including Ingvild as protagonist for the devil side. Now I will use this arc to introduce and show the power of the Leviathan peerage. The climax will be... Ingvild/Rias duo vs Riser's peerage. This will be a short arc because the fallen angels are not present so the whole Asia arc is nonexistent with Asia in AX and Grigori being represented by Akeno too as a half fallen angel...**

 **Should I give Akeno an upgrade and make her a Nephilim instead of that half nonsense? Because the gigantic creatures known as Nephilim is the real result of an angel mating with a human as far as I can remember my mythology.**


	26. File 26

**File 26: Ordinary Day**

Ingvild yawned as she felt the sunlight brushing against her face. The devil woke up feeling slightly lethargic but immediately create a ball of water on her hand. She splash her own face with the water which help her woke up even faster and then use her magic to gather the water she splashed and make them disappear. It's a handy little trick she learned to help her wake up.

Now that she's fully awake, Ingvild immediately went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She entered the bathroom for only five minutes before coming out, all fresh and clean. It's a perk from being a Leviathan. The ability to control water is certainly handy. Bathing has never been easier and more thorough when you can control water starting from its movement to even temperature.

Though sometimes Ingvild laments her instinctual habit to bathe too quickly when she's on auto pilot. Bathing quickly and efficiently had been drilled into her body during her years of training in the wilderness of the Underworld. When you don't know what can attack you at any given moment, you tend to do things quickly, even bathing.

She was glad that she learn how to bathe using her water magic when she was craving a good bath after going on for five days without one during her training. She also quickly learn to not take her time enjoying her magic bath after nearly getting her face clawed when bathing in the wild. Unfortunately, the habit sticks, just like some other habits she developed during her training that she wished she didn't keep.

The devil came out of her bedroom all dressed up and ready for school. She went down to the dining room for breakfast. Despite being the daughter of a maou, Ingvild is living in a three-story house that, aside from being a bit bigger than the other houses around, look rather ordinary. Her mother had offered to give her a large mansion for herself or stay in the Sitri mansion together with her… aunt, but Ingvild prefer a smaller and more personally managed accommodation. Serafall wouldn't have any of that… until she cashed in the favor Sera owed her due to worsening her bishop's eccentric behavior.

"Good morning nya~. You're early like usual."

Well, there was a compromise with her peerage having to live with her but it is much more acceptable for Ingvild. She'd rather live in a cramped house with people she knew and explicitly trust than in a large mansion with people whose faces she barely recognize. Originally, she had wanted to live in an ordinary two storey house but she agreed to make the place bigger to anticipate her getting new members for her peerage.

Just like with every other day, Kuroka was the first to get up and cook breakfast for everyone. After mumbling a good morning to her, Ingvild, who is usually the second to rise, help her with cooking breakfast. Say what you will about Kuroka's attitude, and there's a lot to say about the mischievous cat, but she is a good cook and housekeeper. She is practically the big sister of the peerage.

"Good morning, Kuroka-san, Ingvild-sama."

The next to arrive in the dining room is Yuuto. The blonde knight is wearing a white shirt and blue shorts with a small towel hanging over his neck. As with every morning, he would get up early to do some exercise with his sword. After exercising, he would return to his room to shower and prepare for school. As a boy, he didn't take too long to shower and no less than fifteen minutes later, he came back down fresh in his school uniform.

Five minutes after Yuuto came down, Shirone followed, dressed in her school uniform. Yuuto offered her a glass of milk once she sat down. Shirone simply nodded to him as she drink her milk while Yuuto is drinking a cup of coffee.

After Shirone, nobody else came down. The remaining two members of the peerage are rather deep sleeper and at this point, nobody bothered to wake them up, though it is more due to Ingvild's order than anyone's unwillingness. If they can't get up on their own, then Ingvild won't wake them up. But if they were late because they overslept, then she will scold them later. It's her way to teach them discipline.

Due to that, those who have woken up ate their breakfast without waiting for the other two to come down. It was when everyone are halfway through their food that two sets of footsteps was heard coming down from the stairs, telling them that the two heavy sleeper of the group had woken up.

The Bishop and Queen came down together in uniform. Nobody is surprised when Gasper came down wearing the school's female uniform. They did react when they saw him crossdressing for the first time but by now, it has become part of their daily life. Saying good morning to each other, Rias and Gasper join their friends for breakfast. All in all, it's just another normal morning for the Leviathan peerage.

Once breakfast was over, everyone file out from the house one by one with Ingvild leaving last to lock the front door. The whole peerage then walk together, making small talk along the way, mostly talking about the contracts they did last night. There's always something to tell since their clients are usually interesting people with their own interesting stories.

While everyone is chatting with each other though, Ingvild walk alone behind them with several things in mind, mostly about her meeting with the Shinto duo last night. The youkai princess and the general are skilled enough to hide their presence from her when she stood in front of them. That is a feat only very highly skilled fighter can pull off.

"Something on your mind?"

Ingvild heard Rias asking her. The red haired devil had walked back and adjusted her pace to match Ingvild. The Gremory could tell that Ingvild is thinking about something and it is bothering her. Not very much but it is bothering her, like there is a puzzle piece Ingvild is assembling and one piece of them is missing. Not important enough to bother her whole peerage with but it still bother her personally.

"Nothing important. I'm just thinking about last night."

"Last night? Ahh, you mentioned that you met Kunou and Hyoudou last night. You didn't go into details so, did something happen?"

Ingvild shook her head at Rias' question.

"No, nothing. They simply took care of a stray I detected. It's just, I didn't detect them at all even when they're in front of me."

That surprised Rias. Ingvild is the best sensor out of everyone in the peerage, only closely matched by Kuroka. To hear that she couldn't detect the Shinto representatives' presence when they are right in front of her, that is very impressive. Rias look at her friend's expression again and her eyes widened.

"…you're not thinking about challenging them to a spar, right?"

Rias asked. Her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she look at her childhood friend. Ingvild looked away. That just means that she is right. Ingvild did thought of that. Rias sighed. Her friend is simply that kind of person. She couldn't help but want to test herself against a strong opponents. One of the bad habit she developed due to her training. It's not so bad to the point that she became a battle maniac but she got these urges to test herself when she found an interesting opponent.

Ingvild smiled sheepishly, knowing she had been found out. Last time she challenged someone was when she met Sairaorg Bael. She performed the best out of anyone in their age group against him. She was only crushed after eight minutes of intense battle.

"Ingvild, don't."

Rias warned. Ingvild didn't hide her look of disappointment but nodded nonetheless. After that, the two chat about more mundane things as they walk to school. It seems that it will be another normal day for them.

* * *

"Kunou, wake up."

"Uuu… five more minutes."

The blonde fox youkai mumbled as she pull her blanket up to cover her face. Issei poke her cheek once again to wake her up. The fox youkai groaned and finally wake up and yawned. She look up to Issei who had come to wake her up as usual whenever she nearly overslept. She's not surprised nor feel embarrassed with Issei being in her room. It's already a near daily ritual at this point.

"Ohayou, Ise."

"Ohayou, Kunou."

The two greeted each other with a smile like every morning. It is one of their group's tenets that they live by. To 'always give people a good greeting'. By this point, the tenets have been drilled into their mentality that they subconsciously follow them in their life.

"Akeno-senpai is already downstairs cooking breakfast. We'll be waiting for you. Don't forget to brush your teeth."

Issei told her. Sometimes Kunou think that Issei is acting more like her mother than her own mother does. Not that she has a problem with her mother. Yasaka is a very busy woman and Kunou was born in the middle of the civil war so Yasaka didn't have much chance to be a proper mother to her. At least she's a great mother when she does have time to be one, time that she's starting to get more frequently these days thanks to the civil war ending.

Kunou is at least grateful that she and her mother survived through the civil war together. Many parents and children didn't. So many children was orphaned during the war. So many people losing their loved ones due to that senseless conflict.

"Okay~"

Kunou replied. With Kunou up, Issei left her room and head downstairs to help Akeno make breakfast. Kunou rubbed her eyes and look out the window. The sun had already risen for a while. She basked in the light of Amaterasu for a few minutes before finally feeling rejuvenated. Once she's up, she went to the bathroom to get ready for school.

Ten minutes later, Kunou came down to see breakfast served by Akeno. It's quite unfortunate that Akeno couldn't stay with them since she had been assigned to the Kuoh shrine and have to live there since her presence is vital in the recovery of the shrine. Thankfully, she's not fully bound to the shrine like Yasaka did or her movement will be even more limited. Miko really have it tough sometimes.

"Ohayou, Kunou-chan."

"Ohayou Akeno-senpai."

The two greeted each other. Kunou then took her seat beside Issei. Their breakfast today consist of tamagoyaki, fish, and miso soup with rice. Nothing extravagant but fulfilling enough. Kunou also note that their lunch have been packed and placed at the empty corner of the table.

"""Itadakimasu."""

They say in sync as they began eating.

"Speaking of which, Ise-kun, you mentioned earlier that you met with Ingvild-san last night."

Akeno suddenly asked, trying to start a conversation. She remembered Issei mentioning about Ingvild when they were cooking and she is intrigued about what Issei thought about the Leviathan.

"Ahh, that? We met her on the way back. She was patrolling I think. She arrived barely a few minutes after this stray devil entered Kuoh. We happen to be close by so I took care of it but, her response time is commendable. She seems to take this city's security seriously."

Akeno nodded in approval.

"That is good. That means she is taking care of our people who live in her territory. Even if the land itself is officially devil property, every Japanese people with Japanese blood are still our subject. Those who are involved with the supernatural aside, we would have problem if she treat the life of our ordinary citizen callously."

Issei and Kunou agreed with Akeno's statement. Even if the city itself belongs to the devil, the Japanese people living here are their subject by blood. If Ingvild as governor did not at least take some measures to ensure their safety, there will be many people upset in the Shinto faction, including the three of them.

"That meeting alone did not necessarily mean that she is a good governor. But so far Leviathan-san had shown that she is running things properly."

Kunou said, taking a bit harsher stance. But overall, she too actually approve of what Ingvild has been doing with Kuoh. She had seen some really bad governors during her time travelling around Japan. So far, Ingvild fell in the category of competent and that is good.

"On to another topic though. Akeno-senpai, how goes the purification rite?"

Issei asked, referring to the purification of the shrine that Akeno has been doing for the past several days and had only picked up pace when she had finished with the shrine's renovation.

"Hmm, it's going well but there is still that unknown source of youki. It will take a bit longer for me to figure out what is in that shrine."

Understandable. The Miko of Susanoo are traditionally more battle-oriented than other Miko even among the Sandai Miko. While she can perform purification and other standard Miko abilities at above average capacity, combat is still her specialty. To be honest, Akeno thought that the Miko of Tsukuyomi is more suited for this task due to her stronger purification ability as well as connection with the divines but she is the only one of the Sandai Miko available at the moment.

"It is strange. And Izanami-sama insists that a Sandai Miko must be the one sent to purify the shrine. If she knew about this, then that means whatever is in that Shrine is dangerous. Could it be, a daiyoukai sealed by one of the previous Sandai Miko?"

Issei took a guess.

"That is a possibility. The youki that filled the shrine is definitely of daiyoukai class. But even after examining the whole shrine, I still couldn't find the youki's origin. For now, all I can do is purify and repair the shrine."

"There is no doubt that something is there and Izanami-sama need it. We'll probably get a follow up instruction later. It's how Izanami-sama is."

All three of them nodded together, knowing how the current leader of the Shinto faction can be. After they finish their talk, the three quickly finish their breakfast, thanking the gods for the food and then left the house, though Akeno almost forgot to take their lunch with them. Issei was the last to leave and lock the door. For a brief moment, he look at the house beside his before catching up with his two friends.

'Speaking of which, I wonder how Iri-kun and Haru-nii is. It's been years since I last saw them.'

Issei thought to himself as he walk to school. Returning to Kuoh and seeing the house beside his reminded him about his childhood friends. It has been years since he last saw them.

* * *

School, for Ingvild, is boring and so mundane. She spent hours sitting in a room and hear her teacher talk about various subjects in sometimes near monotonous voice. Not much excitement ever happen and things are pretty much repetitive. The teachers would talk, give exercises, assign homework, warn them about tests, and then eventually they will get tests.

And Ingvild honestly like it.

Not that she like being bored to death but she appreciate some semblance of order in her daily life. It is one of the reason why she even came to Kuoh after all. For a half breed and a Sacred Gear user at that, her life is destined to be filled with excitement. She love that and she appreciates the challenges. But it could get too crazy sometimes and a semblance of stability and normalcy is appreciated. It keeps her grounded.

Her daily life is pretty much like her. At day, she would act like a normal human girl. Go to school, make friends, have fun, complain about teachers and lessons, things normal students do. At night, she is the devil Leviathan, leader of her peerage and Governor of Kuoh. It is like the day is used to satisfy her human blood while the night is used to satisfy her devil blood.

Currently, Ingvild is sprawled over her table having just finished physics class. The lesson itself is not overly difficult but it is tiresome. Another problem with being a half breed with her schedule. Full blooded devils, any supernatural really, could function just fine with little sleep. As a half blood, her very limited sleeping hour can sometimes get to her and it shows, especially since she barely got two or three hours of sleep in the past week.

"Ugh, thank goodness that is over with."

Ingvild groaned. She then yawned and stretch her body. It's lunchtime so she got up to buy her lunch. While sometimes she would cook her own lunch, or have Kuroka cook for her, there are also times when she want to eat cafeteria food, especially because they can be especially good from time to time. Being an elite school funded and run by devils, especially with heirs to some big names studying in the academy, the school invested a lot of money in giving the best service and facilities possible… without being too extravagant.

As Ingvild walk out of the class and towards the cafeteria. She look around to see various students walking through the hallway. Some of them she recognize by name as her classmates but some of them she only knew by sight. Some of them greeted her and she reply in kind. Crossing her hands behind her head, Ingvild casually walk down the stairs to the second floor. When she arrived on the second floor, she heard the sound of people running.

"Stop right there! Stay still and accept your punishment!"

"What kind of idiot would stop when they're told to!"

A glasses wearing boy yelled back at the girl yelling at him. With him is a bald boy and the two of them are currently running away from several girls, two of them being the more famous girls of the kendo club. These two boys are known as the perverted duo and like usual, they are being chased by the girls because they've been caught doing something perverted. It's basically a daily occurrence by now. Ingvild wonder sometimes why they haven't been expelled. Then she remember that the glasses boy is one of the smartest boy in his year and the bald boy is a star athlete. The second year really have a collection of quirky people.

Ignoring their usual antics, and it said a lot that nobody is even questioning what just happened, Ingvild continue walking down the stair. Lunch is waiting for her.

Ingvild arrived in the cafeteria not long after. Kuoh academy cafeteria doesn't look much different from any other school cafeteria, ignoring the obviously more expensive apparels. She got in line and look up at today's menu. Today seems to be noodle day because the menu consists of ramen, soba, udon, and more assortment of noodles. The choice though is obvious for her.

"Hmm, udon or soba, that is the question that we must ask here."

"A foolish question, Ise. The answer is already obvious. It can only be…"

"It has to be…"

"Udon!/Soba!"

Two familiar voices argued. Ingvild look to her right side to see two familiar faces surprisingly arguing loudly about lunch.

"What?! You, I thought you have been enlightened to the magnificence that is udon!"

The brown haired onmyouji general pointed at his blonde kitsune friend.

"Hmph, as if any udon can beat the food of the gods that is soba!"

Ingvild had never thought that she would ever see a day where Issei and Kunou would ever argue heatedly. They always seem to be very close with each other and anything that can make them argue must be something monumental. She never thought that the first topic that would easily cause friction between them is about soba and udon.

"Damn you Ise! Have you forgotten the legacy that nee-san left behind?!"

"Heh, Kunou, if you are part of our club then there is no other for us except udon!"

The two Shinto representatives continue arguing passionately even as they move with the line. Really, what is it with this school and attracting quirky people? Everyone is looking at them like they're a couple of crazy people.

"…Hmph, I see. Then it seems we have no other choice."

"…It appears so."

They seem to have reached an agreement.

""Then I'll just have you eat the food of the gods and realize your own foolishness!""

The two of them dramatically declare to each other, causing some onlookers to cheer. Ingvild try her best not to make eye contact with either of them. It's what she does whenever she's in public with her mother and she did something crazy. Besides, both of them are obviously in the wrong.

Ramen is superior to both udon and soba.

"One tonkotsu ramen please."

After placing her order and getting it, it's time for her to walk away discreetly and look for a table, preferably as far as she could from the udon and soba maniacs.

"Ingvild-chan! Over here!"

Ingvild heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She look towards the source of the voice and saw a girl with long brown hair styled in multiple drill-like curls waving at her. Ingvild smiled and head towards the table where her friend is sitting.

"Kiyome-chan. It's rare to see you here. Didn't you usually pack your own lunch?"

Ingvild ask as she sat beside her friend and fellow third year, Abe Kiyome. The brown haired girl is one of Ingvild's closer friend among the student body outside of her own peerage, mainly because she is involved in the supernatural side of things. Despite wanting to make friends with more people, Ingvild has to pick her friends carefully. She cannot be close friends with anyone not involved with the supernatural. It tends to not end well. Since Kiyome came from a family of renowned Beast Tamers, she is one of the few non-devil student Ingvild could be friends with freely.

"Not today. Someone from my class invited me to eat here today since it's noodle day."

"Someone from your class?"

Ingvild inquired. She then notice at the corner of her eyes that someone is sitting across Kiyome. She didn't notice since she was focused on her friend. When Ingvild look to see who it is, her expression turns funny.

"Geh, Himejima Akeno."

Sitting across them with a hand over her mouth hiding a chuckle and a stack of bento beside her is the Miko of Susanoo herself. Come to think of it, Akeno was placed in the same class as Rias which also happens to be Kiyome's class.

"Wait a minute, if you brought your own bento, then why are you eating here. Himejima-san?"

Ingvild asked when she noticed the stack of bento with Akeno.

"Ara ara, don't you know Ingvild-san? Bento or no bento, there will always be place in me for udon."

Ahh, so this miko is also like her juniors and she side with udon. Then that would mean…

"Akeno-senpai! We're back! Ohh, Ingvild-senpai is here too. Glad to have you join us, senpai."

Joining them next are Issei and Kunou who came back with whatever it is they ordered. The two of them sat down and place a bowl of udon in front of Akeno. The miko also in turn distribute the large boxes of bento she has with her juniors. The three of them put their bento aside though. They are more focused on the udon and soba they have ordered.

"Ara Ise-kun, why are you eating soba and Kunou-chan is eating udon?"

Akeno asked. She is close enough with the two of them to know that they have switched their favorite food.

"I'm teaching this idiot that there is nothing in this world better than soba."

"It's time for Kunou to understand that nothing is better than udon."

The two of them said in deathly serious tone. Akeno merely chuckled at her junior's antics and shook her head. It's like she had grown used to it, and she probably has. It's likely not the first time they have had this argument and it won't be the last time either.

"So these are the Shinto faction representatives I've been hearing about? They're quite… odd."

Kiyome whispered to Ingvild who nodded in agreement. The devil is not surprised that Kiyome knew who these three are. Rumors travel fast among the supernatural, especially when the subject of the rumors are three high profile individuals like them.

"Well then everyone, itadakimasu."

"""Itadakimasu"""

The whole table chorused. Ingvild look beside her to see that Kiyome had indeed brought her own lunch like usual and is eating them now. The devil grab her own chopstick and started eating her ramen. She ate a mouthful of ramen when she heard the Shinto trio spoke in unison.

""Gochisousamadeshita.""

"Ehh! How in the name of satan did you finish so fast?!"

Ingvild decided to tsukkomi because in the short moment her eyes left the three, they had finished their bowl clean. How the hell can they eat so fast?!

"Today is just a test, Ingvild-senpai. Usually we would've ordered more. My compliment to the cook though. To think that soba can taste good in my mouth, the chef's skill must be great."

"Same here. To think that udon can taste that good, it must be the cook's skill."

Issei and Kunou said. Even Kiyome had stopped eating due to surprise. The three then put their bowls aside and went for their bento. They open their bento to show an assortment of food inside with karaage being the main dish. There is also a thermos that Akeno took out from somewhere and she pour the content, which happen to be miso soup, into an empty slot.

"You're still going to eat?!"

Ingvild question them. All three of them nodded and started eating their bento. The devil sighs and continue eating her ramen. This time though, all of them ate at a normal pace. Ingvild had known this before but once again, she had confirmed it with her own eyes. They really do have a lot of quirky students.

* * *

 **Nothing much but normal shenanigans and an intro to Kuoh Academy school life. With this, we're halfway through the Phenex arc. The past several chapters is used to introduce how life is in Ein Sof version of Kuoh. Now, next chapter is when things start to get real and Riser appear. So with Ingvild here, look forward to how different the peerage will be when faced with Riser.**


	27. File 27

**File 27: Riser Phenex**

-After Class-

Ingvild plop down onto her chair when she arrived in the Occult Research Club clubroom in the old school building. School had just ended and it has been quite a day, especially with that interesting lunch break she spend with the Shinto trio. She should've known that they would have their own quirks. The Leviathan sighs.

"I heard you had an interesting lunch today, Ingvild."

Rias spoke from beside her, earning another sigh from Ingvild. The Queen presented her with a cup of tea and a cinnamon roll before going back to lying down on the sofa she usually occupy in one corner of the room while the other members of the peerage do their own thing, like Yuuto who is cleaning a sword he had just made with his sacred gear. The act itself is unnecessary but according to the knight, it has a calming effect on him and is the primary reason why he does it.

Sitting beside Yuuto is Shirone who is enjoying a wagashi Kuroka made. There's a full plate of them on the table in front of the small nekomata and it will be enough to occupy her for a while. Kuroka herself is playing dress up with Gasper in the Dhampir's personal corner where there is a wardrobe filled with a collection of costumes Gasper bought from somewhere, probably online.

While her peerage is relaxing, Ingvild started working by opening her laptop. Her usual job as King is to calculate their earning from the night before and then sort out the day's contracts. Nothing too difficult and can be done in an hour or two at most. It has become their routine when they have no specific job.

"Let's see here…"

Ingvild was about to see their earnings from last night when suddenly the clubroom door flew open. Everyone jumped from their seat and prepare themselves to fight until they realized who had just kicked open their door.

"Yahoo Ingvild-senpai and everyone else! We've come to say hello to our new neighbor!"

The loud and boisterous voice of one Hyoudou Issei greeted them, making Ingvild sighs for the umpteenth time that day. Everyone lower their guard a little when they realized who it was. It's surprised her a bit that she's not surprised the moment she saw who came.

"Hyoudou-san, please don't barge in so suddenly like that. I don't appreciate you breaking down my clubroom door."

Ingvild told him from behind her desk while massaging her temple. Issei was about to reply when he was suddenly hit on the head by a harisen held by Kunou.

"Baka! I told you not to kick the door."

"Ehehe, sorry about that. Anyway, we came to say hi since we're going to be neighbors from now on. We even brought some snacks for you guys. Wanna eat it together?"

Issei said while holding up a neatly tied stack of boxes. Ingvild raised an eyebrow. Neighbors? Then she remembered that Sona had said something about giving the Shinto trio one of the empty class in the old school building for their club. That means that their clubroom is beside them.

"I'm sorry for barging in without warning but Issei thought it was a good idea. May we invite ourselves in?"

Akeno asked politely from behind her juniors. Ingvild nodded and the three invite themselves in, sitting on the sofa right across Shirone and Yuuto's. The miko untied the boxes and presented them to their host. Each box is filled with an assortment of sweets both Japanese and western, and they all look very appealing.

"Akeno-senpai personally made these sweets. I guarantee their taste, especially her botamochi. It is arguably her greatest weapon, next to her megalopolis."

Issei said. Ingvild wondered what the hell is her megalopolis when Akeno chuckled and fold her arm under her chest to emphasize her lar—okay, she understood what Issei meant by megalopolis now. It is also satisfying to hear the sound of a harisen hitting Issei's head for the second time today courtesy of Kunou who look at him disapprovingly due to the tasteless joke.

"Sorry about that. Anyway, we came to say hello since our clubroom is just beside yours."

"I know. Congratulation."

While she mouthed congratulation to Issei, inwardly, she's not exactly happy. Don't get her wrong. It's not that she hates Issei or anyone of them. She's just not good at handling them. Plus Issei can be too much to handle sometimes with how he acts, mostly because she only need one boisterous person in her life. At least Kunou could control him somewhat when the fox doesn't join in on his antics.

Shaking her head, Ingvild pick up a botamochi. She took a small bite from the confection. It was only a small bite but the moment she got a taste of the botamochi, she's sorely tempted to kidnap Akeno and have her replace Kuroka as their main sweet maker. Not that she would actually trade Kuroka for Akeno simply for her sweets. She just can't help but have that thought cross her mind.

"Hnn, this is delicious, Himejima-san! Kuroka, you should ask Himejima-san for some pointers! Her sweets are really good!"

Rias has an expression of pure bliss as she ate Akeno's sweets. Even Shirone agree. Her ears even perk up when she tasted Akeno's botamochi. While all of Akeno's baked goods are incredible, her botamochi is especially tasty. Even Kuroka begrudgingly agreed that Akeno made better sweets than her.

"Speaking of which, I never did ask before but what kind of club did you make?"

Ingvild inquired as she picked up her third botamochi. She couldn't stop her hands from picking them up after her first bite. Akeno's specialty is just that good.

"Ohh, it's called the Hero Club!"

Everyone paused when they heard the name of the club being declared by Issei. As devils, they have some apprehension when hearing the title of 'Hero' but it's only a reflexive reaction so they quickly resumed their snacking.

"Hero Club? That's an interesting name. What do you do in the club?"

Kiba asked out of curiosity. The other devils are also curious about the club since they knew that Issei personally request the permission to establish the club. It was Kunou who answered before Issei could open his mouth.

"To make it simple, we're a club that does community service. Despite the name, we don't go out of our way to slay monsters or anything. Basically, we take requests from people who needed help like finding a missing cat, help people out in shops, clean up the street, entertain kids in orphanage, those kinds of things."

That is… surprisingly simple. Like Kunou said, they're basically doing simple community service. A bit unexpected from a club with such a flashy name.

"That's basically it, so if you need our help with anything, just come to our clubroom or send us a message in our website. Our active hour is from morning until sundown."

That's good to know. Ingvild filed the information in her head in case she would need it later, maybe for the school's cultural festival. Cultural festival has always been a hectic affair.

"Wait a minute, if I remember correctly, you can only establish a club when you have at least four members and a supervisor. Club advisor aside, you can't establish a club with just the two of you."

Ingvild recalled that small tidbit.

"Ohh, we actually have five members in our club so don't worry about that. Although their names are just placeholders so we can fill in the paperwork without asking for a favor. You might know them. They are Yukihiko Hoderi and Tadami Kamo."

Kunou answered. Those names do sound familiar. Ingvild then recalled where she had heard those names. Yukihiko is the name of a local family of sword users while Tadami came from an Onmyouji family. She recalled meeting them to ask about the situation in Japan but they didn't know anything since they're not even full-fledged Shinto agents. Last she heard, Yukihiko is still training while Tadami had only just received her qualification.

That answered her question at least. There's no way those two could refuse the request of people who are essentially their superiors, even if it is just to use their names as placeholders.

The following talk between her peerage and the Shinto trio went smoothly as they talk about mundane things, like what happened in class and some funny stories they experienced. While Ingvild still has some reservations with the three agents, she has to admit that they're fun to have around. It's always good to make friends with representatives of other factions.

Ingvild allow herself to smile lightly as she watched her peerage talking with the Shinto trio. Kuroka and Rias seems to be having fun talking with Akeno while Issei is joking with Kiba with their respective partner sitting beside them munching on some botamochi. It's an interesting sight.

Unfortunately, the fun time has to end when a magic circle lit up on the floor near the door. The magic alerted everyone present in the room, taking their attention away from each other and towards the magic circle, a teleportation circle to be exact, and Ingvild knew whose circle it is. Her Queen immediately walk to her side, knowing who had come to visit.

"Fuu, it's been a while since I came to the human's world."

The one standing there is a man wearing a red suit. Since he's wearing his suit casually, he didn't have a tie and his shirt is opened till his chest. He looks like he's in his early 20's. He's handsome but he seems more of the bad boy type. He has his hands inside his pockets. The man looks around the room, and then smirks after finding Rias.

"My lovely Rias. I came to see you."

Rias has a look of distaste when she saw the man but he doesn't seem to care for her opinion and approach her.

"Now then, Rias. Let's go and take a look at the ceremony hall. The date of the ceremony is decided so we need to check it before then."

He was about to touch Rias when a small barrier of water stopped him. The man looked to the side towards a glaring Ingvild Leviathan.

"I don't recall you making any appointment for a visit and it's rude to barge in unannounced, Riser Phenex."

Ingvild spoke in a calm and level tone but everyone here could feel the slight venom in her voice.

"Ahh the half breed. I don't have to announce myself to you whenever I want to visit my dear Rias."

Every devil in the vicinity tensed when the man, Riser Phenex, called Ingvild a half breed. They all look to their King whose hands are slightly twitching. They then glared at Riser for his insult towards their King and look ready to attack him but a single glance from Ingvild is enough to keep them down… for now.

"Hmph, I'll keep it to that for now. It wouldn't do to upset Leviathan-sama when you come crying back to her. You should be more grateful to her, half breed."

Riser waved his hand dismissively at Ingvild and took a seat on the sofa previously occupied by Yuuto and Shirone who had gotten up when they felt his arrival. He sat down and pick up one of the sweets on the table, the one from the western confectionery box, without asking.

"Hmm, this is delicious. Your rook outdid herself this time, Rias."

Everyone continued glaring at Riser for his blatant disrespect of their King. He had not only called Ingvild a half breed but by calling Kuroka as Rias' rook, he essentially did not acknowledge Ingvild as the King of the peerage.

It is not an uncommon thing with them. Riser Phenex is a pureblood devil and those types tend to look down on half-blooded devils, even if she is the adopted daughter of the Maou Leviathan, or perhaps precisely because of it. Many is of the opinion that she is only where she is now because of the Maou Leviathan's name and protection, not out of her own merit. Ohh how very much all of them want to prove to those people who think that way that they are very wrong.

Riser who had finished the first tart went to pick up a second one. As he's about to pick up a second tart, his hand was slapped by someone. The devil immediately looked up with annoyance and anger at the person who slapped his hand away. That person is Hyoudou Issei.

"Riser Phenex-san, right? It's rude of you to just eat Akeno's tart without asking like that. Please, don't."

The Onmyouji General chided. Everyone tensed when they remembered who else are in the room. This is bad, really bad. If anything should happen and Issei clashes with Riser, they could have a diplomatic mess on their hand.

"And who might you be? Another one of the half breed's collection? I didn't know she got a new toy. You must be new. Hmph, as expected of the half breed. She can't even teach her new toy properly."

Ingvild facepalmed. Great, it's just great. Riser Phenex had just insulted an Onmyouji General. While Issei doesn't look like he's affected by Riser's words, the frowning Kunou certainly was. Does that prick have to insult every other person he sees without even knowing them? While Ingvild is fine if it only leads to his death, his attitude could also destroy any potential diplomatic relation with other factions if he insults some foreign representative, like what he just did right now.

"Ohh me? I'm Hyoudou Issei, Ingvild-senpai's junior."

Issei replied with a smile, seemingly unbothered by Riser's insult.

"I don't need to know your name, mongrel."

"How rude. Senpai, is this how a pillar devil normally act? I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed and thankful that it's you who is in charge of Kuoh."

"Why you…"

Riser was about to stand up and grab Issei's collar when a very strong presence engulfed the whole room. The suffocating presence are all focused on Riser who was forced to stay seated by the pressure of the powerful aura. The devil started sweating as he struggled to even look up. When he did though, he saw that Kunou is glaring at him with dangerous glowing golden eyes. She had released her youki.

"I would appreciate it if you stop right there, Phenex. You were about to attack a representative from the Shinto faction. If you dare to touch Issei, just one strand of hair out of line, we will have your head, do you understand?!"

Kunou raised her voice in the end, increasing the pressure she put on him as an extremely large amount of youki flood out from her body. Her youki is so thick and suffocating that Riser almost seem to choke due to having a hard time breathing. Amazingly, no one else in the room seem affected other than several drops of sweat coming from nearly every member of Ingvild's peerage from the show of power coupled with perfect control.

Riser tried to return the glare with his own and try to snark back but he can't even look at Kunou straight in the eyes or even muster enough strength to let out his voice. Some watching was surprised at Kunou's powerful reaction to Riser trying to grab Issei but Akeno and Issei himself merely sighed at their companion. Issei then put a hand on Kunou's head and gave her a gentle pat.

"Kunou, you're overreacting. Please stop pressuring Phenex-san."

"But Ise!"

"Kunou."

Kunou tried to argue with him but a single frown from Issei made whatever argument she had stuck in her throat. Grudgingly, she reigned in her youki and stop putting pressure on the Phenex. Riser is panting on his seat, trying to recover from the experience, while Ise smiled and continue enjoying his tea like nothing happened. Everyone was silent.

"Well then, Ingvild-senpai, it looks like we've overstayed our welcome here. We'll return to our clubroom before Kunou here do something stupid ("Oi!") while you entertain your new guest. Ahh, we'll leave the sweets here for you. If you want to offer it to Phenex-san then it's fine. We'll see you tomorrow then! Kunou, Akeno-senpai, let's go."

Issei put down his cup and signaled his companions to leave. While Akeno complied easily, Kunou sent Riser one last glare before following the other two out. Ingvild sighed. That really could've been worse. Kunou looked ready to kill Riser in the most painful way possible. She had not expected her to react like that. She knew that Kunou and Issei are very close but to think she would easily get angry like that when someone even attempt to threaten Issei and that Issei could calm her down with only one word and a frown, just how close are those two really?

That aside, they have another thing to worry about. Now Ingvild turn her attention to Riser.

"Great job Riser, you nearly destroyed any chance of diplomacy with the Shinto faction."

Riser did not reply, merely glaring at Ingvild. Without saying anything else, he got up from his seat and teleported away. Everyone started to relax with him gone. Ingvild plop back onto her armchair, feeling tired. She just knew that more headache will be coming in the near future. What had started off as a normal day with the usual brand of Kuoh academy antics had ended on a very troublesome note.

This is a problem. Riser had just unwittingly offended a representative from another faction. That could cause diplomatic problem which at worst could end up with them losing Kuoh. Rubbing the bridge of her nose while groaning at the problem caused by the idiot fried chicken, Ingvild began typing an email addressed to her mother, Serafall Leviathan. As the maou in charge of foreign relation, she should at least know what happened here.

* * *

-The next day-

Ingvild walked towards her clubroom with a sense of relief. Earlier, she had just talked with Himejima Akeno about what happened yesterday and apologized. Fortunately, Akeno told her that there will be no diplomatic problem between them as a result of Riser's action. That's one good news that Ingvild will definitely tell Serafall later.

Though Akeno did warn her that it is best if they keep their distance with Kunou. She is quite volatile and the most upset of them all. Akeno herself is also upset but she said that she will follow Issei's lead and if Issei decided to not make a problem out of the incident then she will follow his wishes. That is one less thing to worry about then.

Apparently the Miko and Kyoto Princess both defer to the General and would follow his wishes even if they're not exactly happy about it. That's fortunate in this case because Issei seems to the most forgiving of the three. Without his command, Ingvild was sure that Kunou would've like to do nothing more than kill Riser and Akeno wouldn't stop her. That would lead to a diplomatic disaster.

It also makes her wonder what kind of power does Issei have to be the one in who those two defer to. While true that he is an Onmyouji General and that itself means he has a large amount of authority in the Shinto faction, Ingvild couldn't imagine him outranking the Princess of Kyoto and a Sandai Miko. Or maybe it's less about authority and more due to their friendship. They are close friends and Ingvild is sure that Kunou and him have something going on. Kunou cares about him very much as evident by how an insult to Issei is enough to trigger her.

Well speculating about the Shinto trio's relationship can be left for another time. Right now, she has another matter to attend to. After Riser left yesterday, a message came from the Gremory and Phenex family concerning Rias and Riser's engagement. Riser will be visiting again today with a representative from the Gremory household to talk about some change in plan. It just means more headache for her.

Normally, such matter is not something that would concern her and would be something settled between the Gremory and Phenex family. Unfortunately, she has to be involved since Rias is her Queen piece.

Usually when a high-class devil reincarnated someone, the person became their property, basically a slave. Being what they are, nobody saw a problem with it because devil mindset is just like that. Slavery of other race means nothing to them, especially pureblood. Some even went as far as to think that being a slave in exchange to 'being given the right to become a devil' is a fair trade and they should be thanked instead. As part human, Ingvild is not fond of that mindset and the system as a whole but she's not so nice as to want to change it.

That's where the complication came from. When the Evil Piece system was established, the idea was to reincarnate other race into devils. Because it's another race, the problem with enslavement is basically not even thought about. Even if devils were made into a piece, it's usually some no-name devil or devils of fallen houses. The main idea is that the King, in the eyes of Devil society, must always be of the higher rank than the servants.

But Rias is a special case, the only one in existence. She is the only pureblood devil heiress of an active pillar house who willingly became part of a peerage as a piece that is not a King. Officially speaking, she is Ingvild's servant. Personally speaking, between them, they have no problem with the arrangement due to their trust and long friendship. But among their society, especially the older generation, it is unprecedented and cause for outrage. After all, it doesn't look good when an adopted halfblood actually have a pureblood heiress serving her instead of the other way around.

That's also one of the reasons why purebloods dislike her to a much greater degree than normal despite her ancestry and her adopted mother's status. They see her as someone who can and will undermine their authority in the future. It's not an unfounded fear because honestly, that is what she will definitely do when she become a Maou but still, it's annoying.

"Well, let's get this over with."

Ingvild mumbled as she opened the door to the clubroom.

"Stop it already, Riser! I told you before! I will not marry you!"

"Yeah, I heard that before. But Rias, that won't do, you know? I think the situation of your household is quite serious."

"That's none of your concern! If I'm the next heiress for the House of Gremory, then I will choose who will become my husband! My father, brother, and everyone in the clan are rushing it! Besides, as Ingvild's servant, you don't have the right to decide what you want to do to me without her input!"

Ingvild entered to witness Rias already in a shouting match with Riser. The blonde prick is back with his smug smirk again, probably already forgetting about what happened with Kunou yesterday. Though when Rias mentioned her name, Riser frowned and glared at Ingvild hatefully. The halfblood sighs. She just has to bring her into her problem with Riser.

Not that Ingvild would leave her to fend for herself. She will never abandon her best friend and Queen for anything. But she would appreciate it if she could get some time to sit down and prepare herself before being dragged into their quarrel. Letting them continue their shouting match, Ingvild walk over to the other side of the room where she stood side by side with a white-haired maid.

"The newly produced Devils—. The ones like your servants, the reincarnated Devils, are expanding in terms of strength but that would make us, the High-class Devils with old history background, lose our place. There are old nobles who gets close to the reincarnated Devils because they are very powerful. Well, that might be alright. The newly produced Devils are also important for our future. But we can't allow the pure-blood Devils to go extinct right? You and I were chosen in order to prevent the pure-bloods from going extinct. My house is safe because I have my older brothers. But there are only two siblings in your house. And your brother is someone who left the house. Then there would only be you, Rias, who can inherit the House of Gremory. If you don't take a husband, the House of Gremory will go extinct in your generation. Are you trying to crush the household that has been continuing for a very long time? Because of the past war, there is not even half the number of Devils who were referred as '72 pillars'. This marriage has the future of the Devils on the line."

Personally, Ingvild doesn't care about those pureblood stuff since she herself is a halfblood and was raised mostly as a human during her childhood but the old devils still do even if there are some who are more progressive. Now, that is their problem and she's fine if those old devils want to play blood purity as long as it doesn't involve her but unfortunately, they involved Rias and if Rias is involved, she will get involved by default.

"I'm not going to crush my house. And I am willing to take a husband."

"Oh, to be expected from Rias! Then let's—"

"But I won't marry you, Riser. I will marry the one I acknowledge. Even the Devils from the old noble house have the right to choose."

Well it's mostly the younger devils who were born after the civil war who actually does that, choosing their spouse based on real feeling. Hearing that, Riser suddenly becomes unpleasant. His eyes become sharper and he even makes a noise with his tongue.

"You know, Rias. I'm also a Devil who carries the name of House of Phoenix behind me. I can't let that name get tarnished. I didn't even want to come to a small old building like this in the human world. Rather, I don't like the human world that much. The fire and wind of this world is filthy. For a Devil like me who rules fire and wind, I can't stand it!"

There are flames around Raiser. There are small bits of fire around the room.

"I will take you back to the underworld, even if I have to burn all of your servants, including the half breed."

His hostility and killing intent filled the room. The pressure from Raiser's body come right towards her peerage, but none buckle down under his power. The whole peerage glared at him for once again disregarding their King. Rias especially narrowed her eyes dangerously as she also released her power and their aura clash. Riser was surprised that his aura didn't make anyone submit and that Rias is matching him in terms of intensity.

Suddenly both auras were crushed by another presence that made itself known in the room. Rias' eyes widened, knowing who had just put their foot down. She turned back to see Ingvild crossing her arm while emanating a strong presence that engulfed the whole room. It's not as strong as Kunou's from yesterday but it came close and it's only because Ingvild wanted to tell them to stop, not crush them under her presence.

"Are you two done yet?"

She questioned while frowning. Rias knew that Ingvild is not happy. She was stressed by Riser's action yesterday and she had told her that she would be talking with the Shinto faction. With everything that had happened, she would be rather irritable.

Rias stand down for Ingvild's sake. She doesn't want to make her friend more stressed than she already is. Riser look like he's ready to say some choice words to Ingvild but a single look from the maid standing beside Ingvild made him stop and just refuse to look at the Leviathan in the eyes.

The maid is the representative of the Gremory family, Grayfia Lucifuge of the defunct Lucifuge house, Queen to Rias' brother. Seeing that both Rias and Riser have no intention to start a fight anymore, Ingvild started talking.

"So I heard that you're pushing forward your marriage with Rias despite what we have agreed on. What is the meaning of this, Riser?"

Ingvild asked. The agreement in question is about the compromise Ingvild made when Rias became her Queen. Originally, Ingvild wanted to use the authority she has over Rias as her King to dissolve the engagement on Rias' request. But the two houses denied her request and while she would like nothing more than to push it in order to help her friend, it would damage Serafall's position with the Gremory and Phenex family. So a compromise was made.

The engagement stayed but Rias will be given time until she finished college in the human world to find a suitable replacement that her family could approve if she wanted to dissolve her engagement with Riser. If she couldn't find an acceptable spouse by then, she will have to marry Riser. And Riser can only push their engagement forward if she has Rias' consent, which means he has to develop a real relationship with Rias if he wanted to speed up their engagement or before Rias could find a suitable spouse.

So far, Riser had not tried developing a proper relationship with Rias so he shouldn't have any right to expedite their engagement.

"The situation has changed, Ingvild. House Phenex and house Gremory have agreed that we may go forward with our engagement regardless of your opinion. The preservation of our blood is much more important."

Right, something must've changed in the background for them to pull this off. Must be the Phenex putting pressure on the Gremory house, and backed up by some powerful people behind the scenes in order to push their agenda. She might be paranoid about this but considering her reputation and how some pureblood like to try to piss her off just for sports, it is a very real possibility.

"Why am I not surprised. But you know, while you might have made the Gremory family agree, that doesn't mean that I will go along with this."

Ingvild showed a dangerous glint in her eyes as she looked at Riser. The Phenex glared at her. Like he thought, Ingvild will be the main adversary he has to take out if he wanted to marry Rias. It was then that Grayfia finally spoke.

"Master, Sirzechs-sama, and those from the House of Phenex knew it would turn out like this. To tell you the truth this was to be the last discussion meeting. Everyone knew that it wouldn't be solved, so they decided to make a last resort."

"Last resort? What do you mean, Grayfia?"

Rias asked.

"In order for a decision to be reached, we have proposed that this matter be settled in a Rating Game."

"!?"

Rias becomes speechless hearing Grayfia. She seems to be very shocked.

To put it simply, a Rating Game is a game that is played by the Devils with peerage, and they compete by making their servants battle. It is similar to a combat simulation where two opposing forces are pitted against each other in battle just like in chess.

"Just as you know, Ojou-sama, only mature aged Devils can participate in official Rating Game. But if it's an unofficial match between pure-blood Devils, even immature Devils can participate. However, in this case—"

"When it involves the family and household problems."

Ingvild finish while having a thoughtful look. Her eyes met with Rias and they both subtly nodded.

"In other words, otou-sama and the others decided to have a game as a last resort if I were to decline, right?"

"That is correct. In this case, the challenge is issued to Ingvild-sama and if she were to lose, then not only will the engagement go through but ojou-sama must be released from her service in order to be married."

Ingvild narrowed her eyes. So it's also an attempt to get Rias away from her. It is a big gamble and Rias look worried but…

"Very well, let's do the game. In exchange, if I win, there will be no further attempt to undermine my authority over my peerage and Rias' engagement will be dissolved and no further engagement can be made without her personal input!"

Ingvild declared.

"Hee, so you're accepting it. I don't mind. But I'm already a matured Devil and I have already participated in the official game. Right now I have won most of the games. Even so, you still want to play, Ingvild?"

"Should I be scared by a fried chicken who was just cowed by a pissed off girlfriend just yesterday?"

Ingvild taunted back, smirking at Riser who growled at her for reminding him of his altercation with the foxy girl of the Shinto trio.

"Fine. I will put you in your place soon enough, half breed."

Both of them glares at each other. They are both glaring at each other with scary eyes.

"Understood. I, Grayfia, have confirmed both sides opinion. I will be in charge of the game between the two household. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Yeah."

Ingvild and Riser both agrees to Grayfia's approval.

"Understood. I will inform the two households then."

Grayfia bows her head after confirming. It has been decided. The Leviathan peerage will have a Rating Game against the Phenex peerage. Unseen by Riser, Ingvild's lips curled up into a smile.

* * *

 **Riser doesn't know how fucked he is. Then again, keeping her opponent ignorant of how fucked they are is advantageous to her. Anyway, there's only one more chapter until this arc is done and that is the Rating Game chapter. I wouldn't bother including the training part since as everyone might be aware by now that Ingvild is not someone that Riser should mess with.**

 **I know that some of you expect Riser fucking up and bring down Issei and the Shinto faction's wrath on him or there would be more than just Kunou pressuring him but this arc is not the Shinto faction's fulll introduction arc. This arc is the Devil side's introduction arc featuring Ingvild as main character so she and Rias will be the one beating up Riser. The next arc will be the appearance and introduction of the Fallen Angel side's main team which I will take some liberty in since we lack any main character for the Fallen Angel side who is not a cadre. In order to rectify that, I will be stealing a character from another series. Expect a clusterfuck for the Excalibur arc because all the players will be powerful.**


	28. File 28

**File 28: The Leviathan Peerage**

-Two weeks later-

Two weeks.

They have been given two weeks to train and prepare for the Rating Game as some sort of kind gesture because the Leviathan peerage are incomplete and inexperienced. Honestly, it's all just posturing. Two weeks wouldn't be enough for an incomplete rookie peerage to train to a level that they can beat a complete and experienced peerage. Both houses and whoever backed up the idea expected Ingvild to lose. It's only natural.

Well the game is on. If they're given two weeks then so be it. Ingvild will use that time to her advantage regardless whether she need it or not, and use it she did. For one and a half week, she and her peerage trained in their usual training area in the underworld and return to Kuoh just two days before the Rating Game in order to rest.

It was close to midnight and most of the peerage are sleeping in their room after their intense training regiments that Ingvild made them all do, including herself. They came back sore all over so she gave them all a day off from doing contracts. In fact, they won't be doing any contracts until after the Rating Game. Of course, daily patrol is mandatory so she left it Sona Sitri's peerage, especially after she heard that Sona got a new piece.

Ingvild herself though is still awake, watching video feeds of Riser's previous matches on her laptop. She managed to get the feeds from Serafall and now she's using it to get a feel on how Riser fight with his peerage. What she saw is enough to give her a good idea of how the enemy peerage fight.

The peerage itself doesn't look impressive. Riser's peerage comprised of females with exotic and diverse looks and personality. She dares bet ten thousand dollars that he picked them just to make a harem. Well at least he treated them decently enough. From the way the peerage fights, there is a semblance of unity and teamwork, especially when the peerage received an addition in the form of Ravel Phenex, Riser's own little sister.

It is an unusual but not exactly unheard practice. A younger member of a family would enter the peerage of an older family member in order to learn how to manage and command a peerage. It allows the younger devil to gain experience by observing and sometimes commanding their elder's peerage. But Ingvild didn't expect Riser to be someone who would indulge his sister in such a thing and according to Rias, Ravel is not the type to ask her sibling for such favor. Not that it matters to her anyway.

"Let's see. Riser usually would send the pawns in first to both act as scout to gain promotion. Once the pawns have done their job, then the second wave of fighters will come in to pick out their enemies one by one. The Queen is kept in reserve until they find an enemy that needed extra firepower to take down or to keep the enemy's strongest piece in check if they have prior information. If the Queen still lack the power to takedown the enemy, Riser will personally deal with the opponent. That's generally how they go about their battles and Riser usually gave them free reign. But with Ravel's addition, the peerage began to adopt more specific tactics under Ravel's command and became even more organized."

Ingvild summarized her observation. It is surprisingly a solid team. Not as solid as hers but solid enough for her to tell that Riser does actually put some work on them and that they are actually close. She could tell by their look that despite being a prick and a proud pureblood, he's not a total asshole like the elders. She could accept that. She had seen devils who treated their peerage badly like literal slaves or toys. The eyes of the girls in Riser's peerage surprisingly doesn't have the same disturbing look as in say, Diodora Astaroth's peerage.

"For that much I will give them a proper fight they deserve."

The King muttered as she brought a mug of coffee to her lips, savoring the bitter liquid inside. Caffeine has always been a close companion of hers in some sleepless nights to keep her human side awake, though her brew must be specialized since normal caffeine would do nothing thanks to her devil side.

"He has a complete peerage. Eight pawns, two bishops, two knights, two rooks, and a queen. The most troublesome would be Ravel and the queen, Yubelluna, outside of Riser himself. The others are capable pieces but… this is speaking only about Rating Games."

Ingvild had a thoughtful look as she watched several videos showing the individual capabilities of Riser's peerage. What she saw is interesting and it made her revise some of her plans. She has several already, and what she uses depends on whether she wanted to play nice or not. Either way, the Rating Game will be the simplest battle then and nothing Riser does will change the outcome.

No, what occupies her mind is the other 'game', the one that matters. She needed to think carefully on what she wanted to do, what statement she wanted to make. The Rating Game is Rias and her peerage's battle anyway. But the 'game' is hers to play. What card should she use this time around? What consequences will each move make? She has two days to decide.

* * *

-Day of the Rating Game-

"Is everyone ready? It's ten minutes before the match."

Everyone stood up after Grayfia called them. Ingvild had chosen what she wanted to do and her peerage is ready to carry out her order. Grayfia then started explaining about the battle.

"When it'll be the time to start the battle, you will be transported to the battle field with this magic circle. The location of the place is in a different dimension used for battles. You may fight with all your power. It's a disposable space so feel free to fight to your satisfaction."

Everyone nodded, showing that they understood Grayfia's explanation. Satisfied at their response, Grayfia continued.

"This 'Rating Game' battle will also be viewed by members of both households from a different location by broadcast. Also, the Maou Lucifer-sama as well as Leviathan-sama will also be viewing this battle. Please do not forget about it."

Like they could ever forget. Rias is the Maou Lucifer's younger sister while Ingvild is the Maou Leviathan's adopted daughter. It is only natural that those two will be watching, especially since every each one of them knew those two Maou personally. But left unsaid is of course the unofficial spectators. The real audience of this Rating Game.

"Also once you get transported, you cannot use the magic circle until the game ends. With that said, good luck, ojou-sama, Ingvild-sama."

Grayfia bowed as the transportation magic circle glowed, ready to take them to the Rating Game field. Everyone nodded to each other, knowing what their roles are. The magic circle then engulfed them, taking them to the battlefield.

When they reappear, they found themselves situated in a familiar room, their very own clubroom. But despite the familiar sight, Yuuto, Shirone and Gasper prepares to fight. Meanwhile, the King walk to her chair and sat on it, turning it backward until it faces away from the desk and towards the window showing her the outside scenery with her Queen beside her while the senior Rook took her usual spot on one of the sofa.

[Hello everyone. I am Grayfia, a maid from the Gremory household. Today I will be the arbiter of the Rating match between the Gremory household and the Phoenix household.]

The peerage heard Grayfia's voice through the school's broadcast system. Normally, any student would be surprised when hearing an unfamiliar voice using the school's broadcast system. But that is not the case in this moment because they know that other than Riser's peerage and themselves, there are nobody else in the 'school ground'.

[In the name of my master, Sirzechs Lucifer, I will be keeping my eye on this match. By using both Ingvild-sama and Riser-sama's opinion we created this battlefield. The battlefield for this match is a replica of the school Ingvild-sama attends to, the Kuoh Academy.]

That's right, the school is a replica of their real school made inside a pocket dimension utilized for Rating Games. As mentioned by Grayfia earlier, Rating Games utilize a pocket dimension that can replicate various locations where Peerages can duke it out without fear of causing massive collateral damage on earth which would draw unwanted attentions.

[The location where both teams were transported will be their base. Rias-sama's base would be the Occult research club room located in the old school building. Raiser-sama's base would be the student council's room located in the new building. For the Pawns to use promotion, please go to the enemy's base.}

"Everyone please put the transceiver in your ears."

Ingvild told them as they all put on an earphone type transceiver Ingvild distributed earlier. In the battlefield they will be using the device to communicate with each other.

[Now it's the time for the commencement of the battle. Now this match will continue till dawn in the humans time. Then, Game start.]

The moment Grayfia finished her announcement, the school bell rang, and along with it, the Rating Game starts. The moment it started, Ingvild doesn't need to issue her order as her peerage already move. Yuuto and Shirone walk out the door while Gasper transformed into bats and flew out the window Ingvild opened for him.

"Right, everyone already knew their role so let's do this. We'll give Riser a game he will never forget."

Every member of the Leviathan peerage smiled, fully prepared to carry out Ingvild's order. It is time for Ingvild to make a statement.

After watching Riser's battles, she knew that his first move will be to send his pawns to scout ahead and reach the enemy base in order to trigger promotion. He has eight pawns and all of them are physical fighters. They will come here eventually and she only need to wait for them. When they come, her knight and rook will be there to meet them and Riser will find that she's not a conventional enemy.

On the floor below, the knight and younger rook of the Leviathan peerage are slowly walking out from the old school building as if they are just strolling, and they do look like they are strolling as Yuuto and Shirone don't look any different from usual. They are not carrying anything on them remotely resembling a weapon. It's like they don't even think that they're in the middle of the battlefield.

When the two exited the old school building where their clubhouse is, the two of them took position at both sides of the front door, leaning on the building as they wait. Shirone standing on the left side while Yuuto standing on the right side. Shirone even use this waiting period where the Phenex peerage is likely still planning to eat a dorayaki she hid inside her pocket.

"You know, I had thought that Ingvild-sama and Rias-san would want to fight this whole game by themselves. Ingvild-sama certainly thought about it. When they show that they can win against a complete peerage and against an experienced Rating Game player, many people will be forced to acknowledge Ingvild-sama's strength. But I guess the plan changed."

Yuuto struck up a conversation with Shirone to pass the time. As he had said, originally, Ingvild thought about going out with only Rias by her side and massacre Riser's peerage with a combination attack they have been practicing. She said that it will leave a strong impact if they can win the game with just the two of them. But she changed her mind and instead go with their current strategy. Yuuto doesn't mind the change in strategy. It just means that he can show the result of their two weeks long training where the rest of the peerage battled against Ingvild and Rias.

When it comes to training, Ingvild like to go over-the-top, especially after her lost against Sairaorg Bael. It's not a particularly terrible lost compared to anyone else that went against Sairaorg but it made Ingvild fired up and it certainly showed in their training regiments. She would push them all hard and herself even harder. Yuuto is glad that they now have an earlier chance to show that the effort their King put into them is not a waste.

"…they're here."

As usual, Shirone is a girl of few words. But when she speaks, it is best to listen. Like Shirone said, Yuuto can see movements from up ahead. The Phenex peerage have arrived, four of them. One is a brown haired girl dressed in maid outfit. Another is a dark skinned girl dressed in what looks like a sexy dancer outfit. The last two in the first wave are twin girls wearing gym uniform carrying chainsaws.

Yuuto had to admit that Ingvild is right. The peerage is filled with a fetishist's dream. Those outfits don't look like something someone should wear in combat. Not that they can argue much since they are wearing their school uniform in battle but it is still much better than what those girls are wearing, except for one of them anyway.

Although according to Ingvild and Rias who had travelled a lot before, they would see fighters with even more bizarre outfit from time to time if they go out enough. Considering that one of their Maou fights while wearing a magical girl costume, Yuuto unfortunately couldn't disagree with her statement.

"According to the data we have, those four would be the enemy pawns. The maid is Marion, the tanned one is Shuriya, and the gym twins are Ile and Nel. Let's give them a greeting."

Shirone nodded. The white haired girl then leaped into the air and create a magic circle as platform so she can launch herself towards their enemies. Launching straight towards the pawns in supersonic speed thanks to her immense leg power, Shirone punched the ground with her bare fist. The Phenex pawns disperse in order to dodge her preemptive attack but when Shirone's fist connects with the ground, the land exploded, as in everything in seventy meters radius exploded, sending powerful shockwave that prevented the pawns from landing on their feet as well as blowing them away.

This is Toujou Shirone, the White Rook of the Leviathan peerage, their hand-to-hand combat expert. Despite her small size, she packed a lot of punch that makes her an extremely strong physical fighter. Her fist not only enhanced by her rook trait but also by ki control and senjustsu that she had only started touching upon could shatter earth and split rivers and she still has more untapped potential that she's only starting to figure out due to her young age.

"It looks like Shirone is getting serious from the beginning. Then I can't afford to lose."

Yuuto declared. He then thrust his right hand forward as if he is commanding a charge. At that moment, around forty magic circles appear in the air behind him spread in a wide area. On the magic circles, demonic swords began to appear. Swords of various elements from fire to earth to lightning appear and looks ready to be used in battle.

"Sword Birth Full Barrel, open fire!"

On his commands, all swords are launched at high velocity like bullets from the magic circles. Yuuto smirked as his swords all hit his targets who are too late to dodge the barrage. They're not out of the competition yet as he still has to perfect his aim but with their injuries, they won't be able to evade his follow-up attack. Creating a sword in his hand, Yuuto dashed forward in at great speed, followed by Shirone who came from behind them.

With speed they couldn't follow, Shirone punched Shuriya hard enough that she was launched into Ile and they would've crashed through the whole old school building if not for a barrier of water stopping them and causing an immense impact damage.

"Shirone, try to not destroy the building we're in while fighting, please."

Kuroka chided from the communicator, making Shirone's face redden in embarrassment. Meanwhile, Yuuto slashed the remaining two pawn in a speed even greater than what Shirone showed that the pawns didn't even realized that they have been eliminated.

Kiba Yuuto, the Knight of Leviathan. He possess a sacred gear called Sword Birth, a sacred gear that allows him to create demonic swords. Originally, he can only make several swords in the vicinity of his hand in order to wield them and he used this ability to great effect, combining his skill with a sword and the speed trait of a knight to blitz enemies, damaging them immensely by switching between elemental swords that his opponent is weak to. But Ingvild saw that this is only a limited use of his ability, making him predictable as he fights like a typical knight.

His Full Barrel is a new technique Kuroka and Rias helped develop in order to give him ranged option as well as making him a formidable opponent able to rain down swords. To reach that stage though is not easy. He was made to train his magic very hard as well as his body in order to make him an all-rounder. But seeing the effectiveness of his Full Barrel made all his efforts and pain worth it. He's even thinking to train some more until he can expand his barrel limit to a hundred at least.

[Riser Phenex-sama four pawns retired.]

Grayfia announced as the four fallen pawns are teleported out from the battlefield. Shirone and Yuuto smiled at each other. Four more pawns left. But defeating them won't be their job. With the pawns defeated easily, Riser will definitely send the other pieces out now. Those are their next targets. Without even looking back, Shirone and Yuuto head out.

Once the two of them are out of sight, the remaining four pawns showed themselves, hiding behind the trees in the woods close to the old school building. They are surprised that those two didn't keep defending their position and even left the door wide open despite their King being inside.

"This is definitely a trap."

Mira, one of the pawns wielding a staff, stated what is in all their mind.

"Yes but with those two gone they would only have the other rook and bishop left along with the queen. And the rest will join us after defeating those two. If we promote to queen then we can at least hold them off until reinforcement arrive or we beat them."

Another pawn said, another maid girl called Burent.

"It's no use thinking about it. They left their base wide open so let's just rush them!"

A nekomata girl wearing sailor uniform said. Her twin nodded beside her. Seeing that they're going to charge in anyway because they're certainly not going to do anything else, the pawns jump out from the trees and ran towards the old school building.

"So my prey have finally shown themselves. I felt bored waiting for you guys."

Suddenly the whole area was covered in mist as the voice of a girl eerily greeted them. The pawns stop in their track as bats gathered in front of them, forming into a young girl (trap) wearing blood red dress carrying a parasol. Gasper smiled, showing his fangs and glowing red eyes to the four pawns.

"So someone is waiting. But what can one of you do against four of us?"

The pawns took a battle stance, confident in their chance against only a single opponent. With a battle cry, the pawns move in to engage. But just as they all took a step forward, the world stopped for them. The glow in Gasper's eyes seems to intensify as his enemies froze in the middle of moving. The smile never left the young dhampir's face as he closed his parasol and walk towards all four of them.

"Too easy. I'm quite disappointed that I can't show off like Yuu-senpai and Shiro-chan did but nee-chan gave me a job and I intend to finish it. Sorry."

One by one he bit them on the neck and drain their blood to weaken them. He would've drunk their blood to unconsciousness if he could but he's still at full power. Overeating is not good. After he's done drinking their blood, he walk in front of them and held his parasol in a manner similar to fencing.

"En garde!"

He smiled sadistically as he stabbed the unmoving pawns in non-vital areas but he stabbed them enough times to be able to retire them once they can move again. Walking back to his previous position, he let the pawns able to move again but instead of continuing their charge towards him, all of them fell one by one due to losing all strength they previously have as well as their sudden injuries, at least sudden from their point of view.

"H-how?"

All of them questioned as they fell to the ground, defeated and immediately teleported out.

[Riser Phenex-sama all pawns retired.]

Grayfia announced much to Gasper's glee. Gasper Vladi, the Bishop of the Leviathan peerage and on occasions, possibly the most dangerous member of their group. With a sacred gear called the Forbidden Balor View, he can stop time to a certain limit and anyone with inferior magical potential to him will find that breaking out of his influence to be impossible.

Ingvild had trained him hard to increase his magical potential to the point that anything less than an ultimate-class won't be able to break free from his Forbidden Balor View. Though most of his training was handled by Serafall who also taught him how to use a rapier which translates into his use of a parasol with hidden blade. Apparently Serafall thought that it would make it surprising as well as humiliating if his opponents were to be defeated by a boy in drag wielding a parasol.

His main role in the peerage is usually as reconnaissance but he is also skilled in assassination due to his skillset as a vampire and his sacred gear. Though it doesn't mean that he is weak in direct fight but it seems he can't show his capability in that front at this moment.

In another location, Yuuto and Shirone heard the announcement by Grayfia and they knew that it means Gasper had defeated his opponents. The Game is progressing smoothly and according to how they want it to be. The two proceeds to enter the sports field at a leisurely pace.

"All pawns defeated. That leaves the stronger pieces. Our target is the knight pieces, Shirone. After that we retreat and leave the rest to Ingvild-sama and the others."

Shirone nodded. Just as they enter the baseball court though, they were stopped by a loud voice.

"I'm the knight of Riser Phenex-sama, Karlamine! I've become bored of trying to sniff through each other's strategy! Ingvild Leviathan's Knight! I challenge you to a duel!"

In the middle of the baseball court, there was a woman standing upfront wearing armor. Yuuto and Shirone blinked and look at each other. Well, their search ended now since they found a knight but…

"Do you want to take her on or should I?"

Yuuto whispered to Shirone. It didn't take the white haired rook long to gesture to Yuuto to go at it. Besides, Karlamine challenged a knight after all. It's proper courtesy to respond to her honest challenge in kind so Yuuto stepped forward.

"I'm the knight of Ingvild Leviathan, Kiba Yuuto."

"Toujou Shirone. Rook."

Yuuto and Shirone named themselves to Riser's knight. The female knight then made a happy face.

"I'm happy that there are warriors like you two in Rias Gremory's group. Coming directly from the front. That's something people with normal sanity won't do."

Not when they are fighting a life or death battle but since this is not a fight to the death and more like Ingvild making a statement then attacking from the front is the only way.

"But I love idiots like you two. Then, shall we start."

Karlamine drew her sword out from her sheath. Yuuto simply made a pair of demonic swords with Sword Birth and held them both pointing downward in a lazy manner.

"Well then, shall we?"

Yuuto smiled… and then he disappeared. Karlamine blinked and suddenly the blonde knight is in front of her. With speed and power she had never seen in a knight before, he used one sword to knock aside her blade she had only started to move to defend and stab her with the other sword. It was over in an instant.

"R-Remarkable."

[Riser Phenex-sama, one knight retired.]

Grayfia announced again. Yuuto dismissed his swords and dusted his hand. He turned around to walk back towards Shirone when suddenly someone moved in to attack him. He didn't bother to turn around in order to intercept though. Swords appear from the ground between him and the fist of a woman wearing a mask that just covered her face. Yuuto recalled her as one of Riser's rook, Isabella.

"Tch, annoying swords."

Seeing that her attack had failed, Isabella was about to jump back and disengage when suddenly a lightning fast punch blew her away past the baseball court and towards the school building… or rather through it. Shirone's punch is not a joke.

[Riser Phenex-sama one rook retired.]

"Isabella!"

Someone called out the fallen rook's name just as Grayfia announced her elimination. That someone is a blonde-haired girl who has a drill shaped hairstyle on both sides and dressed like a princess. Together with her are three other members of Riser's peerage. The remaining knight and rook as well as bishop. That would make the blonde girl the other bishop and based on her appearance, she is no doubt Ravel Phenex, the little sister of Riser Phenex.

"To think that we lost so much pieces in such a short time without even being able to take down one of them. What kind of monsters did that Ingvild Leviathan recruited?!"

Ravel yelled. A reply came but not from either Yuuto or Shirone.

"Ufufu, what do you expect from the peerage of the person bearing the name Leviathan nya~?"

Suddenly a figure materialized in between Shirone and Yuuto. Wearing a loose black kimono with pink obi is the Black Rook of Ingvild Leviathan, Toujou Kuroka. All remaining members of Riser's peerage present entered battle stance at her arrival, knowing that this is an opponent they should be wary of even when compared to Yuuto and Shirone. With Kuroka's arrival, the Leviathan's knight and rook gave the battlefield to her.

"A firebird challenging the beast of the sea. You should've made sure that your fire is strong nya. Because if not, even a Phoenix will drown nya."

Riser's peerage took a step back when they saw the dangerous glint in Kuroka's eyes as she released her youki. But they didn't let it intimidate them for long as Ravel commanded them.

"Siris, Xuelan, Mihae, don't be intimidated! Show them the pride of the Phenex house!"

Kuroka smiled when she saw Riser's peerage nodding to each other and prepare to attack her. She wouldn't let then though. Kuroka then create a dozen flaming wheels with her youjutsu and send them towards her opponents. The size and power behind the wheels surprised them but their instinct allowed them to dodge the attack by dispersing to multiple directions. But even as Kuroka's wheels missed, they turn around from a simple mental command from the black cat and this time managed to hit the bishop and rook since they lack the speed to dodge.

"Mihae, Xuelan! Dammit."

Siris called out the names of her comrades. She's prepared to avenge them but when she turned around, Kuroka is already in front of her and the black cat struck her with a powerful palm strike enhanced with her rook power. The raw power behind the strike is not as great as Shirone's but Kuroka added senjutsu in her palm strike which would deal massive internal damage to the knight. It's over.

[Riser Phenex-sama all knights and rooks retired. One bishop retired.]

Toujou Kuroka, the Black Rook of Leviathan. Despite her piece, Kuroka is a master of fighting with magic, mainly youjutsu and senjutsu. Commanding powerful magic spells and youjutsu, she is the reverse of a glass cannon. Her powerful magical prowess combined with her rook constitution made her a veritable moving fortress of destruction.

Ravel couldn't believe it. Their forces defeated so easily without even being able to touch any one of them and she gets the feeling that none of the Leviathan peerage members have shown their full power.

"Good work Kuroka, everyone."

Ravel heard the voice of Ingvild Leviathan addressing her peerage. She looked up to the sky to see Ingvild flying together with Rias and Gasper looking down on her. The King's eyes didn't linger on her for too long though as something else caught her attention.

"Now then, it's time for the final act."

Suddenly several blasts of flame were fired towards Ingvild. The Leviathan didn't bother trying to dodge or create a shield as Rias move in front of her and create a wall made of the power of destruction. The demonic energy blast and flame met the wall and was devoured by the crimson haired Gremory's power.

"So you've come, Riser. I had wondered when you'll finally show up."

Ingvild greeted with a rather mocking tone while smirking at Riser. The Phenex finally showed himself with his queen, Yubelluna, by his side. He angrily glares at Ingvild as flame danced all around him.

"So how do you like my boys and girls' performance? They did very well today and I'm thinking about taking them out to eat sushi after we're done with this game, after all, I have to reward them after a job well done."

Ingvild taunted. Riser is visibly getting angrier and angrier by the minute. The purple haired Leviathan chuckled. She better finishes this before the man literally explode.

"So why don't we finish this? King against King and Queen against Queen."

Ingvild offered. Riser kept glaring at her until he finally took a deep breath to calm himself. He then nodded to her.

"Fine. It seems that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. I will admit that your peerage is strong. But you will never be able to beat me, the immortal Phoenix! Yubelluna, you take on Rias! I will deal with the half breed myself!"

Riser declared as flame burst out from every inch of his body. With his fiery wings spread out, he charged straight at Ingvild while his Queen began firing demonic energy blast at Rias. Ingvild grinned as she spread all eight of her devil wings, surprising Riser as a huge amount of water began to appear all around them.

"Rias, destroy."

Ingvild commanded. The crimson haired Gremory obliged.

"This will be over in an instant, Bomb Queen."

Yubelluna, the Bomb Queen, clicked her tongue in annoyance as she hates that nickname. She didn't immediately snark back though as she opted to be cautious with her opponent. Rias is a high-class devil possessing a very dangerous bloodline power on top of her queen piece boost. She is not an opponent Yubelluna can afford to underestimate even for a moment, especially if what she had seen from the other pieces are the standard for Ingvild's peerage.

"I will not make the mistake of underestimating you. That said, I cannot afford to lose for Riser-sama's sake!"

"That's fine. That's how a queen should be to their king. Then let's begin."

Yubelluna was the first to attack. She shot numerous blasts of fire at Rias. The Leviathan queen didn't move as she conjured a fully spherical barrier made of the power of destruction that devoured the Bomb Queen's fire the moment it made contact. Yubelluna tried again, increasing her attack power with every new blast she made but the defense hold.

"Is that all you have? Then It's my turn."

Rias announced. She dispelled her barrier and in the span of a moment, created a long whip made entirely of the power of destruction. The whip lashed out at Yubelluna. She tried to defend with a magical shield but the whip tore through her shield like they weren't even there. The whip of destruction struck her and would've punched through her whole body if Rias didn't have fine control to keep it from being too lethal. But what damage she did make caused Yubelluna to spat out blood and Rias followed up with another strike with her whip, fully taking her out of the fight.

"Riser Phenex-sama's queen have retired.]

Grayfia announced. Rias is satisfied with her work.

Rias Gremory, the second strongest member of the peerage after Ingvild herself. In terms of attack power, she is overwhelming thanks to her power of destruction. But thanks to Ingvild's training, Rias' power began to take a form different from her brother's. Through intense control training that always left her mentally drained to the point of passing out multiple times, she had started to learn how to make weapons and shapes using the power of destruction.

By learning how to manipulate the shapes of her power, Rias could use her power of destruction in a variety of ways for offense and defense. It's still a work in progress but what she had achieved thus far looks promising. Even her brother would be surprised with what she had achieved.

Riser who had been trying to toast Ingvild with a torrent of fire in the duration of Rias and Yubelluna's fight, which is no more than a minute, heard the announcement of his queen's defeat.

"Yubelluna was defeated?! Dammit! But it's not over yet. I'll take you all on by myself!"

Riser screamed as he increased the intensity of his flame. Meanwhile Ingvild is still save behind her wall of water that remains unyielding even in face of the intense heat of Riser's flame. It is not the most powerful flame that Ingvild had ever faced anyway.

"So it seems it's only us left. It's time to finish this, Riser."

As spoke, her water barrier began to push back Riser's flame as it moved closer and closer towards him. As they did, the water barrier also grew larger and larger until it became the size of a small building and envelop Riser entirely. Riser who is now trapped inside a ball of water tried to get out by trying to burn through Ingvild's water but whatever fire he could produce was immediately doused by the potency of Ingvild's demonic water.

"Drown."

As if following her verbal command, Riser began to choke inside the water. Even if he can regenerate endlessly, there is no meaning if the water were to drown him. Drowning is not something you can regenerate from and being an immortal means he cannot die from drowning. He will experience choking inside the water until his mind gives out, unable to escape as Ingvild kept a firm grasp on him.

This is the king of the Leviathan peerage, Ingvild Leviathan. She sighs as she slowly choked Riser to unconsciousness with her power over water, the most basic ability she has, not even bothered to use her sacred gear on the Phenex. As the descendant of the beast of the sea, she has a natural control over water which is boosted to an even greater level when she uses her sacred gear. But nobody would know that what she is doing is all using her natural power and would assume that it is all her sacred gear.

She blamed this all on Serafall and also on herself.

This all started with Serafall taking her in and adopting her… but keeping her Leviathan name. As one of the new Yondai Maou, their name is not hereditary but instead more of a title. When Serafall announced that she had adopted a half-breed devil, it caused quite a commotion, but not as big as what she does next. In the public's eyes, she's just another halfblood with a sacred gear.

But when her name was announced as Ingvild LEVIATHAN, it caused a commotion because the name is not really Serafall's to give. Bad enough that Serafall is the most infamous of the maou for cases of nepotism with her sister and now her adopted daughter is called a Leviathan? That is too much and it became another reason why she is the most hated halfbreed in the entire Underworld.

But there's a reason to the madness. It kept attention on her, annoying as it is, but it is useful. Ingvild had argued once that it's better for her to throw away her real name and adopted the Sitri name. It would cause less commotion. But with her unusual status, Serafall said that she's in the best position to make true friends and true enemies. When she knew which is which, the future of Devilkind will be decided.

At first, she doesn't really understand what she meant. But slowly she's starting to see what Serafall meant. Those who became her true friends or at least friends are those who fully embraced the new era. Those who are her true enemies are those who are behind time. Serafall is using her as instrument of selection and she's the perfect candidate to do this because of her unique situation. At first, she's angry at Serafall for using her like this. But what Serafall promised to her after she confronted her is just as outrageous.

'After the selection happens, you will be the next Maou.'

Ingvild will never forget those words Serafall told her more than a year ago. A promise between two Leviathans.

* * *

 **Well, this is the final chapter of the Leviathan Peerage arc. Honestly, the Rating Game fight here is lame, I will admit it. But that is because I focuses more on the introduction of each Leviathan peerage member. All members of the Leviathan peerage are overpowered when compared to Riser's. Even holding back, their base parameter is just ridiculous. This is of course because they will be facing much more powerful opponents in the future. All teams in ES are overpowered but their enemies will be even stronger.** **Anyway, this ends the devil chapter for now. A bit of a massive twist I think. Doesn't explain much but hinted at many more things in the future.**

 **In the next chapter we'll finally enter the Excalibur arc. It will go much more differently from canon especially since I will be introducing a fallen angel team that serves as the main characters for the Fallen Angel side. Unfortunately, since we don't really get much in terms of Grigori characters and because Slash Dog team belongs to a different faction, I will have to borrow one character from another series to serve as lead for the Fallen Angel side just like Ingvild is the lead for the devil side.**


	29. File 29

**File 29: Back To The West**

-Kuoh, ORC clubroom-

It has been a day since Ingvild's overwhelming victory against Riser. As agreed, Rias' engagement with Riser has been nullified and there will be no more arranged marriage for her. It's a personal victory for Rias, but not a victory yet for Ingvild, not until she gets a full picture of what her statement resulted in. It will take a while until she could get a full picture so for now, she's in a waiting period.

Serafall had told her that those who watched the Rating Game, both officially and unofficially, have been talking about her. Serafall will continue to see what comes out as a result of that game among the older generation. For the younger generation, well, it's only a matter of time until she can see it for herself. Though she knew for a fact that Sairaorg would definitely congratulate her, and maybe ask her for another friendly match. He's the only one she knew for a fact to be on her side. Well, him and the devil currently visiting her.

"Congratulation on your victory, Ingvild. Though I think it is needless with how easy you took out Riser and his peerage."

A black haired devil wearing glasses is sitting beside Ingvild while enjoying a plate of sushi that Ingvild had promised her peerage. While the devil is not part of Ingvild's peerage, the Leviathan had offered her to join them so she didn't refuse.

"It's not particularly difficult, aunt Sona. He's a fire bird and I'm a sea serpent. It's only natural that I would drown him, right? After all, birds can't swim. Doesn't matter if he's immortal or not. I'm just a bad matchup for him."

Ingvild replied to the black haired devil who looks annoyed at what the purple haired devil called her. The devil is Sona Sitri. Legally speaking, Sona is Ingvild's aunt. But due to devils living a very long life and have low birth rate, it's not unusual to see someone who has aunts around the same age or even younger than them. Still, even if she is Ingvild's aunt, regardless whether it's because of adoption or not, Sona is not ready to be called one.

"I told you to not call me aunt even if you are technically my niece. Just call me Sona! We're the same age!"

Ingvild snickered. Sona doesn't like being called aunt because she feels that she's too young to be one. But Ingvild kept calling her that anyway because it's one of the few things that tick her off. Like Serafall said, it's always fun to tease Sona and break her usual disciplined persona.

"Right, as you wish, aunt Sona~"

Sona grit her teeth in annoyance but kept her temper. She knew that she's quite sensitive about being called aunt and she knew that Ingvild does it because she knew it would annoy her. Really, whether it is the mother or the daughter, they like to cause her headache. At least Ingvild only does it occasionally and is serious most of the time.

"By the way, Ingvild, I've been meaning to ask you for a while now."

"What is it?"

"…why is there a sushi bar in the clubroom and why is one of the Onmyouji General serving us sushi?"

As Sona had said, the two of them, and the rest of the peerage, are currently eating on a sushi bar with Issei working on making them sushi. Ingvild and her peerage doesn't look like they're complaining as they eat together with Kunou and Akeno but it has been bothering Sona for a while.

"Hyoudou-san, more salmon for me and an extra large serving of tuna for Shirone and Kuroka-san please!"

Yuuto called out from the other side of the bar where he's sitting in between Shirone and Kuroka. The two nekomata have plates upon plates stacked up to make several towers and more are still coming.

"Ise, give me and Akeno-senpai another Hero special!"

Two seats to Ingvild's right side sat the other two members of the Hero club who also kept ordering but in the form of sets. Right next to Ingvild is Rias who is still enjoying her fugu sushi, her third serving today.

"How did this happen?"

Sona just had to ask, so Ingvild explained. Apparently, the Hero Club watched their Rating Game from their clubroom yesterday and heard her promising her peerage some sushi. So Issei came up with the idea of making them sushi today. When they all came into the clubroom, a large sushi bar is already set up on one corner with Issei dressed in a sushi chef outfit ready to serve them. Of course, Ingvild had asked how it all happened and Kunou answered her.

After the explanation, everyone just decided to roll with it, especially since Issei is apparently a certified sushi chef back in Kyoto, and now here they are. Kunou also told her to expect more random stuff like this from Issei in the future and to not be surprised when he shows some random skill. Nobody questioned how someone his age could become a certified sushi chef who is allowed to prepare fugu. It's not the oddest skillset one could learn.

"If you think about it too much then you lose. Free sushi is free sushi. Just put Hyoudou-san in the same category as mom."

It's what Ingvild decided to do the moment she saw the sushi bar. It is how she survived Serafall's antics. Can't let everything bother you or you'll go crazy. Adaptation is always the best course of action.

"Anyway, I'm glad that you came to visit but is this a social visit or do you have something for me?"

The purple haired Leviathan asked. She mentally crossed her fingers that this is just a normal social visit and Sona is just here to introduce her newest piece because she saw that there's a boy she had never seen before among them and that he's a devil.

"It's mostly social visit. I'm sure you've noticed by now that I have a new piece. I plan to introduce him to you today."

Ingvild spared a glance at the new boy among Sona's group who is currently sitting in between one of Sona's bishop and pawn, Hanakai Momo and Nimura Ruruko. The boy has a good build with short blonde hair a shade duller than Yuuto. But the moment Ingvild saw him, she immediately felt something stir inside her. Ingvild immediately knew what it is.

"Dragon sacred gear. This feeling, it's Vritra."

Ingvild muttered just loud enough for Sona to hear. Thanks to her sacred gear, Ingvild is quite sensitive to a dragon's presence. She could sense dragons better than any other supernatural species. While she has never met a Vritra sacred gear user before, she could tell immediately due to the dark aura and moderate power level the boy's sacred gear possess. It's too high to be one of the more common dragon sacred gear like Twice Critical but not too high to be one of the Heavenly Dragons.

Besides, she heard that the White Dragon Emperor is working with Grigori and the Red Dragon Emperor entered Juggernaut Drive three years ago in Tokyo and was never seen again since. Taking those facts into consideration, the only other high-level dragon that has been made into a sacred gear was Vritra who was said to be one of the strongest Dragon King who was equal to Indra before he was defeated and made into a sacred gear.

"Yes. His name is Saji Genshirou. He possesses Absorption Line, one of the Vritra sacred gears. Considering your ability, I wanted to introduce him to you so you can help him train his power."

"A Dragon King huh? Interesting. I'll do it."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Training a Vritra sacred gear user. That sounds interesting. Besides, it's rare for Sona to ask her for a favor. But thanks to her sacred gear, she does have some specialized skills relating to dragons so asking her to train the new boy who possess a dragon sacred gear makes sense.

"Well, things should go back to normal now that the Rating Game's finished. I should be able to squeeze some time to help your boy with his sacred gear."

"Thanks… and please don't call him 'my boy' or anything else with implications."

Ingvild chuckled at Sona's annoyance. As she finished her plate, Issei served her another with a smile.

"Here you go, Ingvild-senpai."

"Thank you, Hyoudou-san."

"Don't mention it. I just wanted to do this since you've been so nice to us. By the way, are you free next week?"

Issei asked. Ingvild have shoved in a piece by then so she has to chew and swallow before answering his question.

"Uhh, I should be. Is there something you need?"

The Onmyouji General didn't say anything and instead gave her a letter. Ingvild took the letter with some confusion until she read who it's from.

"A letter from the Goddess Izanami?"

Issei nodded.

"Izanami-sama gave it to us so we can give it to you. It is addressed to both you and Serafall Leviathan-sama. She wanted to meet you two next week if possible."

"Haa…"

A letter from Izanami addressed to her and her mother? Ingvild can understand if it is addressed to her mother but why her too? Maybe she wanted to talk about Kuoh ownership or something. Hopefully nothing bad. It looks like the coming week will be interesting for her.

* * *

-Halfway across the world, Vallo Della Lucania, Italy-

The Mediterranean. For most people, it is a beautiful place fit for summer vacation. Beautiful towns and beaches rich with ancient culture, good food, good weather, the Mediterranean countries have always been popular places for vacation. That is the prevalent thought of the mundane people around the world. If you ask those who is involved in the supernatural world, particularly those who actually live in the Mediterranean, their answer would be different.

The Mediterranean is home to monsters, a lot of them, all of them dangerous to the extreme. With the Mediterranean Sea connecting places like Greece, Persia, Middle East, and Africa, many of which are infamous for their exotic collection of monsters, the Mediterranean countries have always been infamous as monster breeding ground, especially in the wilds, and sometimes these monsters left their habitat in the wild to attack human settlements, especially for those man-eating species.

One of the jobs of an Inquisitor or other high-ranking groups in the church is culling the population of such monsters. Despite the simplicity of the job's description, it is surprisingly harder than any normal stray hunts as a certain Inquisitor (in-training) just learned.

Xenovia Quarta is running for her life. She's surprisingly not used to it despite her dangerous job. The reason is simple. Her usual opponents are enemies she usually held advantage over or have been trained to fight specifically. Say what you may about devils and vampires being superior to humans but their natural weakness to light and holy elements are so crippling that it makes for an incredible equalizer in battle. A properly trained holy sword user is especially dangerous and can kill multiple low to mid class devils at a time.

She knew she is young but she like to think that as a holy sword user who was sent on more dangerous and important missions than the usual exorcists, she would know more about what being an exorcist entailed. Apparently not since she's the one running.

She doesn't look so well either. There are several bruises and burn marks all over her body. Her white robe is a tattered mess with more than half of it burned off. Her bodysuit has cuts all over it. She definitely had seen better days but considering her targets this time and her relative inexperience with this particular level of enemies, her current state can be forgiven.

Chasing her as she ran through an alleyway of Vallo Della Lucania while breaking everything in its path is an Orthrus, an adult one that is nearly the size of a small house. With it is a Chimera of the same size. Both monsters breathed fire at her that she countered by swinging Durandal at them. The wave of holy energy coming from Durandal was weak but spread over a larger area and it managed to push back the fire long enough to allow Xenovia to make a turn, heading towards a more open area.

"This was clearly a bad idea."

She muttered as she ran. She saw some stacks of boxes that would allow her to jump to the rooftops. With agility and dexterity normally not expected from a warrior of her build, she jumped up the boxes to a pole and use one hand to swing from the pole up to the rooftops. From a higher vantage point, she could see an open area which is probably the town square and so she jumped over rooftops to reach it.

How did all this happen?

Nine hours ago, when she was doing her daily training, Kaya approached her and told her to prepare herself for an evaluation to see how far she had progressed. Needless to say, she was ecstatic back then.

When Xenovia learned that she will become the head Inquisitor's apprentice, she expected a lot of grueling training that would break her bones and bleed her dry. She's correct, but she didn't realize that Kaya would go above and beyond her expectations.

Kaya is a very harsh taskmaster and with her close friendship with AX, she would borrow Asia Argento so she can put Xenovia through brutal training and have her heal quickly. And when she said brutal, she meant it. Her training is the kind of training that would've killed even exceptional people. To call it inhuman won't even be wrong.

Legendary weapon users like her possess naturally stronger body with higher limit than normal person. That, Xenovia believe, is the only reason she's still alive, and her durability is rather exceptional even among holy sword users. Though she also believed that it is precisely because of that that Kaya put her through hell.

Fifty laps running around Vatican, sadistic obstacle course with high lethality on all kinds of terrains, merciless sparring matches, hours of physical conditioning in specially made gym, there's never a day that goes by where she didn't return back to her room without bandages on half her body. If she were any less durable or if Asia was not around, she would've really died. But all of that she could take and endure in order to become stronger.

After nearly a month, Kaya finally decided to give her a test. The test is simple. Accompany her on an Inquisitor mission which she will be the one to complete with Kaya staying on the sidelines as observer unless she's on the verge of dying or totally botching the mission. Naturally, she was excited and eager to prove herself. In her mind, the mission is probably just destroying a vampire coven or hunting a larger number of stronger stray devils.

She was wrong, and now she's being chased through the skyline of Vallo Della Lucania by some Greek monsters, fully developed Greek monsters, not some juvenile coughing out fireballs but matured monsters that could kill a small squad of exorcists, and that's just one of them alone. Right now, she has two behind her.

Xenovia leapt off a roof as the chimera jumped at her, sending its snake head rear body part to bite her. Using Durandal's flat side, she blocked the snake head and repositioned herself in the air as she drew a black key. Channeling Durandal's power, she created the black key's blade and slashed at the snake tail. Her key managed to cut the snake nearly all the way through before shattering due to instability.

"Tch, I still can't make a stable one."

Xenovia clicked her tongue as she pushed away the snake head that is still hissing but definitely dying. She landed on the ground on both her feet just as the Orthrus appeared. The two headed dog charged at her in an attempt to trample her. Xenovia leapt to the side to dodge the Orthrus' charge but found herself being clawed by an angry lion that made up the front half of the Chimera's body. The reason; because the snake head is now lying limp behind the Chimera, dying from nearly being severed.

Xenovia brought Durandal to the front, parrying the lion's claw that send her staggering backward. But a follow-up attack in the form of a fire breath from the goat head sticking out from the Chimera's back nearly got her if not for her using Durandal with added power to block the fire. But a sword is not a shield so while her defense hold, Xenovia got out from the line of fire.

Only to be met with Orthrus trying to bit her head off. The blue haired girl ducked and with impressive reflex, stab her sword upward, sticking the blade up one of Orthrus' head. The dog, angered at the lost of one of its head, bit Xenovia on the shoulder. As the Orthrus began swinging her around, worsening the damage done to her shoulder, Xenovia let go of Durandal still stabbed in the Orthrus' other head and with a war cry, use her remaining good arm, now holding a black key, to stab the Orthrus' eye and send as much destructive energy as she can through the key, making it shatter inside the Orthrus' eye while sending a wave of Durandal's power into its skull.

The inside of the Orthrus' head exploded. While the beast has thick skin that she couldn't cut easily with her current level of mastery with Durandal, their internal organs are not as durable. That was a lucky shot. It's a good thing that she also learned how to use the exploding key attack by channeling Durandal's power.

With the Orthrus dead, there's only one opponent left. There is no time to feel relieved though. Xenovia quickly pull Durandal out from the dead Orthrus' head and let its power go out of control as she slashed it at her incoming second opponent. The wave of destruction released by Durandal met the pouncing Chimera before it can eviscerate the blue haired exorcist.

Xenovia then fell to one knee as the Chimera was blasted into a building not far away. She then forced Durandal's power down with some effort before it could release more of its destructive power. The girl panted as Durandal calmed down in her hand. Forcing herself up to her feet, she held her sword with her only good arm as the Chimera return for another round.

The beast growled in anger. It walks with a limp thanks to Durandal's power being released at near point-blank range. Xenovia had hoped that releasing Durandal's uncontrolled power in a single blast would be enough to kill it but apparently the beast is tougher than she expected or her desperate attack was too spread out to deal the amount of damage she had hoped.

Welp, this will be the last time she ever underestimated her enemies. Who knew that these beasts have better teamwork than stray devils and some exorcist teams? Though she certainly didn't expect the level of durability they have. Five minutes in after luring them out and she already forgot about Kaya's lesson. Keep caution and do not act recklessly. If she survives this, she'll take that lesson to heart. Though surviving this will require a miracle with her shoulder bleeding profusely.

The Chimera charged with a roar. Xenovia ready her sword, releasing its aura to the highest limit she could without causing it to go out of control. As the beast and swordswoman are about to clash though, a voice chimed in.

"Well, I won't exactly give you a passing grade for your performance but you did quite well, all things considered."

Suddenly the Chimera was slammed to the ground as around twenty black keys stabbed it all over its body, particularly its limbs. Then someone landed on top of the grounded Chimera. In a single flash of silver, the goat head was removed from the Chimera's body. Another flash and another blade embedded itself into the lion's forehead, killing the beast.

With the beast dead, its killer jumped down from its corpse. The killer is none other than Xenovia's current teacher and the head of the Papal Inquisitor, Kaya Syokka. She is still dressed in her usual nun habit, not really fit for battle but since she did kill a Chimera in what looks more like an execution than a battle, nobody can point out her appearance.

"I would take points off for what you did at the beginning but your performance with the Orthrus and killing the Chimera's snake part is impressive commendable. Here, use this to heal yourself."

Kaya tossed Xenovia something. It is a small vial containing a clear liquid inside it.

"It's Phoenix Tear. Got it from a real Phoenix, not the devil kind, when I was in Tibet. I got five vials from that trip but I have used two since and that's the third."

Xenovia look at the phial vial in wonder. The tear of a real Phoenix? Not the devil kind? That's amazing! The tear of a real Phoenix is much more effective but also much harder to get than the devil's Phoenix Tear! And since Phoenix are holy creatures, Xenovia doesn't see why she should refuse it, especially since she really needs it. Opening the vial, she drank the tears and the result immediately showed itself.

In an instant, her body was restored to perfect condition. She can feel strength returning to her body as all her injuries disappeared.

With this, both beasts are dead. That means their mission have been accomplished. With that out of the way, she took a deep breath and asked.

"So, what's the result?"

Kaya did not answer but from her look alone, Xenovia knew that she is not impressed.

* * *

 **So this is the transition chapter going from the East to West. I wrapped up the Leviathan Peerage arc and now the Stolen Excalibur arc officially starts. So now we have Xenovia training to become an Inquisitor and her first mission is to exterminate a wild Orthrus and Chimera. Remember that this Xenovia is pure human and she doesn't have things like touki or even mastery of her own holy sword. Fighting two beasts like that all by herself is impressive.**

 **Like with Esther and her first mission, Xenovia's first mission as an Inquisitor did not go as well as expected. But at least it did not end up as catastrophic as the Misty London incident. She made it through alive but there is still her evaluation. A rough start for the main character of this story arc.**


	30. File 30

**File 30: Prelude To Another Case**

Kaya sighed as she sat on her chair in her office in the upper levels of St Peter's Cathedral, out of the way from the eyes of the normal people. Standing in attention in front of her desk is her apprentice, the wielder of the holy sword Durandal, Xenovia Quarta. It is the day after their mission to Vallo Della Lucania and Xenovia have been summoned to be evaluated.

The blue haired girl is understandably nervous. It was her first mission and she knew she hadn't done the best she could. She had time to think about it and slept on it and she realized that she made some mistakes that could've been avoided. Above all else, the chase she led the beasts on back then could've endangered civilian lives. That's a big no in Kaya's book.

After a full minute of silence, Kaya spoke.

"You don't have to be so tense you know."

The Inquisitor told her. The blue haired girl only relaxed slightly but still stood upright in attention. Kaya sighs. She wished the girl could relax a bit more, but she's always so serious, and maybe too obedient sometimes. Not that she doesn't understand. She is about to evaluate her after all and first mission evaluation is quite a big deal.

She can still remember feeling nervous after her first mission two years ago. And now here she is, just two years later sitting on the same seat as the one who evaluated her and being the one evaluating now. It's only two short years but a lot have happened. Sometimes she still can't believe that she is sitting on the seat of the Head Inquisitor. But well, considering the internal affairs of the church, she can't really refuse the position when offered. Damn politics.

"Let's get this over with. Xenovia Quarta. I have witnessed your performance in your first mission and will now evaluate you. In battle you are reckless and can get overconfident. Just because your opponents are beasts, you underestimated them. You misjudged their power and your own and failed to use your first strike to your advantage. You then draw them out to urban area and charge recklessly, resulting in your early injuries as well as destroying several structures. Your robe protected you but you lost it in the process. Then you brought the beasts to a chase through narrow alleys."

Kaya sighed.

"You could've killed civilians if I wasn't there and civilian lives are the most important thing to consider in battle. Of course there's also the bill that we would've been given if I didn't have the magic to repair the damages."

Of course she would bring up the civilians and of course she would bring up the bills, which is thankfully zero because Kaya personally repaired things. Apparently the church is billed for excessive property damage, though rather than in the form of paying for collaterals, it's in the form of decreased funding from countries that actively use the exorcists' service.

Apparently their service is not free like what she thought and there's actual transaction happening behind the scene. After all, it takes an immense amount of capital to run what is essentially an army and pay for their logistics, weapons and equipment. When she was an ordinary exorcist, she had thought that they work thanks to daily offerings from believers. That was only a very small part of the truth when concerning the church's economy.

When she learned about it, which is the first thing Kaya taught her about in addition to several other 'truths' a run-of-the-mill exorcist like her won't know, Xenovia was surprised that the inner working of the church is actually much more complicated than she believed, and how expensive it is to run the Exorcist Agency, which is a VERY big organization considering they have operatives and branches all over the world.

Her head is still hurting after the obscene amounts of pages she has to read.

"As an Inquisitor, you have to think about your actions and its consequences. That's why we have priorities during missions. Mission completion is below safety of the civilians no matter what your old bosses said. You are no longer an exorcist who is only expected to follow order and fight. Your mindset is not quite there yet. Well at least you're not as much work as that numbskull."

The leader of the Inquisitors muttered the last part. Xenovia wondered what she muttered when Kaya took a deep breath as she continued.

"You are capable and have an abundance of untapped potential. Your basic parameter has improved a great deal since we first started, especially your combat senses and magic potential. There are still things we have to work on like learning how to properly control your power and harness it in multiple different ways but you have shown promise. You're starting to learn to use the keys and not be too overly reliant on Durandal. Good job on using the key to kill the Orthrus' other head by the way. I know that due to Durandal's nature and your own difficulty in learning control that you're not quite good in using black keys but you still manage to use what skill you have with it to your advantage. Another point to you."

Is she praising her? That is something. Usually all she gets is a nod before they move on to something else. Then again, this is an evaluation. The point is for her to hear what she does good and what she needs to improve.

"Though your evasive ability is lacking. Not surprising with your build but you tank too much. You tend to take attacks head on. Though to be fair, wide area attacks like their fire breath can't be dodged easily unless you have achieved speed above normal humans and those beasts can be fast. We'll work on that and your footwork next. I believe we still have that cache of old Tommy Gun stored somewhere. Or maybe I should pull out that FN Minimi I liberated from that arms dealer. Hmm, that's something to think about.

Xenovia began to sweat when she heard about what idea Kaya have next for her training. Evasion training is one of the worst training there is. Her original evasion training is to try dodge the shots from over a dozen handguns. Then it upgraded to guns with triple bullet burst shot customization. While she's not an expert on guns, she had heard of the 'tommy gun' nickname that refers to the famed States submachinegun from the World War era. That won't end well for her. At least she's not told to catch bullets… yet.

"Well, I think that's everything I wanted to say. Caution, control, and evasion, these are the points we will be working on primarily. Other than that, good work. I say you're already up to standard for an Inquisitor. Roughly speaking, your combat ability alone put you around the upper level of the middle tier. If you are an ordinary recruit, that would be sufficient enough to make you a full-time Inquisitor."

Xenovia is glad to hear that. It's quite a praise coming from Kaya.

"But I recruited you not to make you just another subordinate. I have another reason to do so. Now that I know that you're able to take care of yourself somewhat, I'll tell you about why I decided to recruit you."

Now Xenovia began to tense. Kaya is no longer sitting with right leg crossed over her left but she is properly sitting while folding her hands together on her desk while looking at Xenovia straight in the eyes. That told Xenovia that Kaya is being totally serious. Kaya always prefer to act casual. But when she does act serious, she has learned that she must listen to her without question.

"It hasn't been a full month since I started training you but I already gave you your first mission and evaluation. I also trained you so harshly to the point that I won't blame you to call it an inhuman training. Do you know why?"

The apprentice shook her head.

"Your rather abrupt recruitment as well as harsh training is because I need someone capable by my side. The church, despite what you might have believed before, is a treacherous place. Have you wondered why someone as young as me could take the seat of Head Inquisitor?"

Xenovia nodded. She had thought about it before but she always chalked it up to Kaya's incredible talent. She could catch bullets and shatter rocks with her bare fist for God's sake!

"It's not simply because I'm the strongest Inquisitor in service. I have been checking the records. Someone is trying to undermine the Inquisitors."

"…what?"

The blue haired girl finally spoke for the first time since she entered the room. What Kaya said definitely took her off guard. The Head Inquisitor stood up and started walking around the room.

"You wouldn't notice it since you haven't met the other Inquisitors but someone has been killing off the Inquisitors. Do you know how many Inquisitors can call themselves my senior among the member?"

She shook her head.

"I joined two years ago. Out of a hundred Inquisitor we have right now, only sixteen of them can call themselves my seniors."

Sixteen out of one hundred? Is mortality really that high among the Inquisitors?

"It's something I only noticed recently after I took over the position of Head Inquisitor after my predecessor was killed in action. It's not something I would notice as a field agent. Exorcists died everyday in the line of duty. It's not unusual to see a comrade dying in our line of work. At first, I thought I'm just that incompetent since I'm still young and new to my position. But when I examined old mission records after our twentieth death in three months, I saw that these deaths have been happening even before I joined. So I took one mission handed to me to be assigned to one of my men. It's supposed to be a simple mission. Kill a pair of A-ranked stray devil. Turns out it is not so."

"…did you face a whole peerage or an S-rank in reality?"

"No. What I killed were actually C-ranked. But that's what makes it suspicious. Being too easy made me investigate the corpse. When I'm in position, that's when it happened. Some bastard tried to snipe me with an anti-material sniper."

The blue haired girl honest doesn't know what she meant by anti-material but Kaya basically sad that she's almost assassinated.

"Of course, what they expected to see is just a lone Inquisitor ripe for the picking. They never expected the Head Inquisitor herself who could block an anti-material sniper bullet. The moment I pinpoint the sniper's position, I tried to apprehend the assassin. I failed. The bastard poisoned himself to death when he knew he couldn't outrun me. It's a professional assassin."

Xenovia gulped. If this were anyone else, she would've laughed it up as an exorcist hyphening their story to boast to their friends. Not the first time that happened when some exorcists gather round in the lounge. But Kaya's look told her that she's dead serious. Someone had been assassinating Inquisitors left and right.

"Not only that, the assassin also put a bomb on his body that would go off when he died. The culprit doesn't want me to find any clue that could lead me back to them."

"What about the person who gave you the mission?"

Xenovia asked. She might not be very bright and she would be the first to admit it but if someone tried to assassinate her so blatantly like that, the first suspect would be the person who gave her the mission. Kaya though shook her head.

"All missions first went to the Exorcist Agency in bundles from all around the world where they are carefully sorted. As you know, the more dangerous missions will then be sent to us to be assigned. To track them down from branches all over the world is quite impossible, especially with so little manpower to spare and I don't know who I can trust."

Kaya stopped walking and stood behind Xenovia.

"What's more is that they are onto me. They knew that I knew something was wrong when their assassin was killed. And now they have lied low. Since then, the rate of death decreased a lot. I would prefer that I can stop it entirely but I won't know which mission are real and which mission are fake. I can't exactly tell my men to stop doing mission either. Besides…"

Kaya paused for a dramatic effect"

"I'm pretty sure that half of the current Inquisitors are men who work for this enemy of ours, an internal enemy. Only an insider can work on faking those missions. That is not the most worrying thing though. The most worrying thing is their goal. What do they hope to achieve by infiltrating the Inquisitors? That was when I realized their true aim. Tell me, Xenovia, what is the Papal Inquisitor's job description?"

"Well, we do more difficult missions that the ordinary exorcists in the Agency cannot handle like monster hunting. We also hunt down stray exorcists actively. But our most important task is to protect the Pope."

Kaya nodded at the general description of the Papal Inquisitors. It is general knowledge after all.

"Other than being elite agents, we are also the Pope's guards. By trying to undermine us, that means our enemy is trying to weaken the Pope's guards. The only reason I can think of for anyone to do that is… because someone is planning on assassinating the Pope."

Xenovia's jaw dropped at the insinuation. That can't be right. Who would want to kill the Pope of all people? Why would they want to do that? It doesn't make sense to her. Kaya who noticed her confusion decided to elaborate.

"I see that you have a hard time believing. It's okay. If I were you, I would be skeptic too. From outside, we always try to show that the church is a tightly run ship, that all of us are united. But that's just an image we try to project to our enemies, which we have a lot of. But when you look deep enough, this is what you will find. Power play, politics, hidden agendas, the usual crap. Right now, I have tightened security around the Pope. But I'm running out of people actually loyal to the Pope. Right now, only a dozen Inquisitors and me are what stood between the Pope and those who wanted him dead."

"But why would anyone want the Pope dead? Is he even aware of this?"

The blue haired girl inquired. This is really beyond everything she had heard before.

"The Pope is perfectly aware of this but without solid lead or evidence, which the enemy have cleaned up very well, we can't really move. And soon we won't even be able to with our dwindling number. As long as I stay by the Pope's side, no one will be able to touch him. But if I'm focused on protecting the Pope, I cannot do any investigations. Which is why I need you. A fighter of a caliber above the others who I can trust to do this. As for the reason why someone would want the Pope dead, this is related to a rumor that recently surfaced. Ordinary exorcists won't hear about this but among us of the higher rank, there is a particular rumor circulating."

"A rumor? How did that become the reason for someone wanting to kill the Pope?"

"Because the rumor is that Heaven is thinking about making peace with the Devils and Grigori."

That revelation hit her harder than the one about the Pope being in danger. Heaven making peace with Devils and Grigori? Ludicrous! Heaven, and the Church by extension, have been enemies for thousands of years, perhaps even before the dawn of time. To want to make peace after what happened, the Great War and everything, that is very hard to believe!

"You're joking, right? It's just a baseless rumor, right?"

"I don't know about that. Did you know? In recent centuries, we have lesser and lesser missions to kill devils. Right now, we are practically only hunting criminals and strays. It's much different from the old ages where we kill devils simply because they are devils. Besides, the political climate is changing."

Again with politics. Xenovia is starting to hate it very much.

"Japan that has been isolating itself for more than a century has opened their borders and meet with the devils. Recently they have been embroiled in a Youkai Civil War which is the reason why they closed borders in the first place. Now that the war is over, they are trying to establish a working relationship with the devils, their closest neighbor, as the devils occupy a territory in Japan called Kuoh that they acquired through a deal several hundred years ago. We also heard that Grigori have established some kind of foothold in Japan too. These things worried the higher up that the three factions might try to ally themselves. If the Grigori and Devils forge an alliance with the Shinto faction of Japan, we will be in trouble. We will be totally isolated and friendless. That is what gave credence to the peace rumor. Rather than having our two enemies forge an alliance together with the Shinto faction and then crush us, it's better to just join them and end our long feud. At least that's the story going around here. Now, I don't know about this alliance between our two old friends and the Shinto faction but it is a fact that something is happening in the East that involves both the Devils and Grigori. That is already enough to give ideas to paranoid minds."

Xenovia felt her head spinning from the long explanation. What and what? She didn't get all of that. All she heard is something about their old enemies and the East and alliance. Seeing her expression, Kaya sighed. The girl is not much of a thinker, that she knew, so it must've been a lot to take in. She needed to remedy that too.

"A-NY-WAY, this rumor is what spurred the people who wanted to assassinate the Pope. Our current Pope is part of the progressive side of the political spectrum. If Heaven decided to make peace, the Pope will follow. There will be complains but everyone will eventually be forced to obey if only to not be left out. If that happened, the extremist side will be destroyed. The extremist side is what you would call those fanatically devoted to killing supernaturals. Well, that is our trade but they took it to a whole new level. They are warmongers. They either enjoy killing without caring about anything else like collateral damage and civilian lives or they want to profit from the war business. Their ultimate goal has always been to kill all supernaturals. Currently, they are kept in check by the progressive and the status quo is acceptable to them. But if we made peace with our enemies and they try something, they will be crushed thoroughly. That is why they are planning to kill the Pope. By killing the Pope and placing their own candidate and make him Pope, they can try cause problem and deliberately restart the Great War. With their Pope leading us, it would make it seem like war is the consensus between us all and all the church are on board. We will have no choice other than to fight and Heaven will either be forced to get dragged into our conflict… or cut their ties with us and be our enemy."

Xenovia gasped. War and Heaven possibly becoming their enemy? That is absurd!

"If that happened and we're put down quickly enough, the Great War can be stopped before the fighting spread too far and the majority of the world will be spared from the chaos of war at the cost of the church's very existence. After that, all Heaven need to do is bow their head and pay some fines and everyone will go on their merry way. Well, that's just one of the simulations I ran in my head in the worst-case scenario. I don't know if the extremist had thought about this possibility but most of them have a screw or three loose in their head. This is why it is imperative that we can protect the Pope and find the mastermind behind the plot. Otherwise it will come down to a political battle and all we can do is hope for the best."

Kaya concluded. She then walked to a corner and… pour water to a glass from a dispenser?

"All that talking made my throat sore. Anyway, do you get all that? I'll summarize it for you if you don't. Basically, some fuckers are aiming for the Pope's head because they have some crazy idea to start another war. Your job once I'm through with your training is to delegate with me between protecting the Pope and investigating this matter so we can put their head on the chopping block, capiche?"

Xenovia nodded while still looking dumbfounded. What did she just get herself into? This is not what she thought when she accepted becoming Kaya's apprentice. She's way in over her head. Is this what high ranking church people deal on a daily basis? What a headache.

"Let's just hope that nothing goes wrong. With that out of the way, I have something for you."

Kaya walk back to her desk while gulping down the full glass of water in her hand. She put the emptied glass on her desk and then took a small briefcase that has been sitting beside her chair. She then presented the briefcase to Xenovia. Seeing that it is something for her, Xenovia walk closer. She then opened the briefcase to see what's inside. Her eyes widened when she saw a set of clothes inside.

"It's a gift for your impressive performance. Since you're my apprentice and right hand, I figured you'll need to look the part."

Kaya grinned.

* * *

-Kyoto Youkai District, Japan-

Kyoto youkai district, a district located in the outskirt of Kyoto hidden under a myriad of wards to keep normal people away. In this district, all kinds of youkai, especially those that cannot disguise themselves as humans, walk around in broad daylight. This is their domain, their part of the city.

Unlike Izumo and Tokyo that suffered near catastrophic damage during the climax of the Civil War, Kyoto remains relatively untouched, partially thanks to being the convergence point of Japan's leylines as well as the main entrance to Takamagahara and thus very heavily defended. Numerous benevolent youkai and Onmyouji would patrol around the old capital of Japan, keeping peace and order in the supernatural side of things.

It is also the home of the Miko of Amaterasu, a position which even among the Sandai Miko of Japan is unique. The Miko of Amaterasu, unlike the other two, has always been the reigning Kyuubi of Kyoto, leader of the Japanese youkai. Descended from Tamamo no Mae, the avatar of Amaterasu, the Kyuubi clan of Kyoto have always guarded the gate of Takamagahara as well as acting as stabilizer to the leylines.

Due to this importance, Kyoto is the most heavily defended territory in Japan, always boasting the presence of at least three Onmyouji Generals at all times even during wartime when the Generals are deployed frequently into battle. Unfortunately, it is also due to this importance that the Miko of Amaterasu is grounded in Kyoto, unable to move away from the city. The current Miko of Amaterasu as well as leader of Japanese youkai is Yasaka, the mother of Kunou.

It was that particular individual that Kokabiel, Angel of the Stars and one of Grigori's Lord have just met. As per Azazel's order, Kokabiel have been handling diplomacy with the Shinto faction since Grigori first made contact with them. A job that Kokabiel finds himself to be enjoying, partially because it gets him away from the madness of his fellow cadre in Grigori.

He is not alone though as he always has an entourage whenever he does his work. That entourage consisted of two young women and a man. Or to put it more correctly, his secretary, his bodyguard, and his troublesome niece.

"That was an interesting meeting."

Kokabiel's troublesome niece, that is to say Azazel's daughter, a voluptuous beautiful girl in her late teens with shoulder length blonde hair and pink eyes, quipped. The girl who is named Angeliese was the result of a union between Azazel and a human woman back during the nineteen thirties. Angeliese, or Ange as her friends call her, would always follow Kokabiel around from the time when she was young and she continue to do so even now. She claimed that it is to learn under Kokabiel who is her favorite uncle. Considering how the other Cadre can be, it's not exactly a bad idea.

"A meeting with the devils in a week's time to discuss a possible chance of peace. Is that really a good idea, Kokabiel-sama?"

The other woman in the group asked. The woman looks to be around Ange's age with long black hair though her figure is less curvaceous than the blonde. Her name is Raynare, Kokabiel's secretary and Ange's childhood friend. She also apparently wants to 'be banged by Ange's father'.

"Azazel have been thinking about it for some time. I suppose it's time for us to get over the past, especially considering what is to come."

Kokabiel, the Angel of Stars, a tall man with long curly black hair and elf-like ears who towered over his entourage, have a distant and thoughtful look. Peace with the devils. It seems it has come to this at last. If it was the old him, he would've spat at the mere idea of it. But what he experienced during the second World War as well as learning about what happened in Japan made him rethink of his life.

He's not opposed to the idea. In fact, since the time of World War 2, he had advocated peace for a while, which is why Azazel entrusted him with handling foreign relation. Kokabiel took out a pack of cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

"Dohnaseek, Raynare, report this to Azazel. We have a long week coming."

Kokabiel ordered. Dohnaseek, his bodyguard, a middle-aged man with black hair and thin stubbles wearing a suit and fedora bowed to him. As per his orders, the two fallen angels teleported back to their base in order to report, leaving Kokabiel alone with Ange.

"So peace is finally coming. It has been yours and the old man's goal for years."

Ange said. Kokabiel puffed out a ring of smoke as he chuckled.

"It's a start at least. The first step towards peace. I hope this goes well because there's always someone who would want to fuck things up when they heard about this."

"Heh, let them try. I'll make sure that this meeting with the devils goes smoothly. What about Heaven though?"

"Heaven will come along eventually."

"You sound quite sure about that."

"Heh, I've heard of things."

Ange saw Kokabiel smirking. That means the man knew something she doesn't. The blonde smiled. If Kokabiel has something in mind then she can rest assured. Her favorite uncle will definitely pull through for them one way or another.

"Well if that's all then I'll leave you to your thing here, uncle. I'm gonna go visit Tobi and Lavi. Vali is probably with them too. I'll see ya later!"

Ange waved goodbye to Kokabiel as she took off to Kyoto's direction to see her friends. Kokabiel chuckled as he watched his niece leaves. Now that he's left alone, he started wandering off to a more secluded area to think.

'If Serafall agrees to come then that's one faction down. Now, I wonder if _he_ can pull through for us. It's been sixty years since then but we haven't heard much from _him_.'

Kokabiel thought about the upcoming talk that will hopefully continue to become a peace meeting. While the future is still uncertain, he is at least certain that they're taking one step in the right direction.

The sound of rustling leaves broke him out of his thought though.

"Who's there!"

Kokabiel called out. A figure slowly walked out from the bushes to his left. His form is covered by the darkness of the night but Kokabiel's fallen angel eyes can see him as clearly as if it's daylight. The cadre's eyes widened in surprise.

"No… it can't be!"

* * *

 **Wow, a lot of things are happening in here. Anyway, this is the prelude to the Stolen Excalibur arc featuring Kokabiel. See that my Kokabiel is very different from the usual Kokabiel and it all stemmed from his experience in WW2. There are many things that happened during that time period that caused his change in character and the full story (or part of it) will be revealed as the story progressed. Anyway, I've also finally introduced the Grigori side's main character, Angeliese. She is a half fallen (should've been Nephilim but I'm using DxD logic) and daughter to Azazel with a human woman during WW2 (as I said, a fucking lot of things happened during that time period). With her is Raynare and Dohnaseek. While I can't say that Dohnaseek will be a mainstay in the Grigori team but Raynare, who is nicer here, will be alongside Ange in her adventures every step of the way. I also explained what is happening in the church currently though that is also still a drop in the ocean that is ES' plot. There's more to come in the next chapter which will sadly take longer to update since I'll be returning to my other stories.**


	31. File 31

**File 31: Stolen Excalibur**

Kaya Syokka is busy signing paperwork. Logistics, budgets, missions, reports, there are lots of things she has to go through daily. Sometimes it gets to a point where she had thought about hiring a secretary but she never went through with it since it will be a waste of their budget. At least 'Management for Dummies' helped. As Kaya put another paper on the 'finished' pile and was about to start on the next one when she paused.

"Can't you come in like a normal person?"

Kaya said as she looked up. Up above her head, walking on the ceiling like it's normal, is Shidou Haruka. The AX agent jumped down to the floor, making a three-point landing perfectly in front of Kaya.

"…you know, that kind of landing is hell on your knee."

"Not if you have touki. Besides, I like to act cool from time to time."

Haruka grinned as he got up and skipped to Kaya's table. He sat on the table instead of any available chair but Kaya doesn't look bothered by it at all. Instead she sassily replied to him with a raised eyebrow.

"In front of me? Really? If you want to act cool, do that in front of your admirers. Blanchett and Xenovia would appreciate it."

Kaya teased and they both share a laugh in good spirit.

"Speaking of which, where have you been in the past month?"

The Inquisitor asked as she continue her work. She had not seen him around for nearly a month. She knew that they're both busy and have things to do and can't simply sit down for a coffee and a chat frequently but to not see him at least in passing for a whole month is rare. She has an idea why though.

"Well, all over the place. When we're about to return to Vatican, the Cardinal told us not to and send us on another trip. Apparently the Gate of Skye's appearance in London caused quite a stir here and since I did call it out rather openly…"

The Head Inquisitor snorted. That's an understatement. She had heard of the Sephiroth Graal going berserk in London, creating an army of spirits, and that the Gate of Skye appeared to eliminate those spirits. While she can't confirm that it's Haruka who summoned it, he's the only other person who could so it's either him or Scathach. Now Haruka had just admitted that he's the culprit.

"It's to be expected. Though for you to risk summoning it in the open, was it that bad?"

Haruka shook his head as he adopted a grave expression.

"It shouldn't have been. I got careless. I wanted to let Esther take charge and finish the mission herself. But somehow the Sephiroth Graal piece managed to create a body for itself through absorbing souls of the deceased. London surprisingly have a large number of corpses buried under it. There's more dead people there than there are living. I tried to stop Graal but I was in a bad position where my attack could've caused collateral damage so I was taken out early. Hit by a train and got sent to the next station."

Kaya winced at his story. That must not have been pleasant. She once got hit by a train when she slipped from a bridge during a chase which incidentally have a train tunnel below it and also incidentally, a train was passing through. She had a concussion and a broken leg as a result.

"When I recovered, that damn Grail fragment raised all evil spirits sleeping underneath London. If I were to try taking them out one by one, a lot of people would've been killed before I'm done. I don't have much choice. I couldn't let the that mistake repeat itself."

The AX agent's fist tightens. Kaya knew what he's talking about. She was there after all. The day when Haruka first used Gate of Skye in the most catastrophic joint mission in the history of their career.

"You could've been seen you know."

Kaya told him.

"The possibility of being seen is a risk that I'd take than leaving people to die because of my negligence."

True that. They already have a lot of blood on their hands. Risking one's position and whole career is worth not adding more names to their body count that doesn't deserve it. Though of course, it's not just his neck on the line but there are some things that they won't compromise on and in that matter at least, Kaya knew that she and Haruka are of the same mind.

"You still have a lot to learn huh? Can you even handle an apprentice if you yourself is like that?"

Kaya questioned in a lighter tone with a smirk, trying to move on from the depressing topic. Haruka look up as if he is thinking.

"Maybe not. But I've put her through something that shouldn't have gone through, at least not this early. She's capable, Esther. If it's only a matter of hunting down and killing an S-ranked stray devil or tracking illegal dealings then she could've handled it easily. But to face a Longinus fragment that's ready to level a whole city and has the power to actually do so? That's more than what she could handle."

"But she survived, right?"

"She nearly didn't. If it weren't for Valerie, she would've died. She challenged an enemy beyond her ability to give me time to prepare the Gate. I knew Valerie would keep her alive even if she's defeated but it doesn't change the fact that I forced her to perform above what is expected of her."

The agent looked down with a myriad of emotion reflected in his eyes that Kaya can only see because she knows him very well. She couldn't quite understand his feeling there though. Of the two of them, she's the harsher teacher.

"If you feel like that, then you should do right with her."

She advised. Haruka nodded.

"That's why I'm asking for an extended leave from the Cardinal. I'm thinking about taking Esther on a training trip and I will focus on training her. Master also told me that I'm allowed to return to the Land of Shadow so I'm thinking about bringing Esther with me."

That's a surprise. When Haruka decided to return to the church, Scathach had told him that he must take responsibility for his decision and until he has grown up, he won't be allowed to return, and he had certainly grown up since then. Her closest friend and rival were not always like the person she knew him today.

"That's good for you."

And that's how Kaya honestly felt. She knew that Haruka has been in love with Scathach for years. It was awkward when she first about it with their age difference and all but Haruka has always wanted to be someone Scathach could be proud of and who is worthy to court her.

Apparently, he took being barred from the Land of Shadow as a test to see whether he is worthy or not and he wanted to show that by defeating powerful enemies and maybe even slaying a god or two so they can be a godslayer couple. It's funny that Kaya actually understood Scathach's intention better than Haruka did when he first shared his story with her. Well, he was a twat back then.

"By the way, I see you have new swords."

Kaya glanced at the platinum swords in a black sheath that Haruka have strapped to his belt. The agent happily grinned as he unsheathed one of the swords and showed it to Kaya.

"Do you like it? Master made them for me. I haven't named them yet but… I'm thinking about calling them Twilight."

"Twilight? How poetic of you. Not gonna pick an Irish name?"

Kaya giggled at her friend. Haruka shook her head.

"No. Twilight is fine."

The agent has a melancholic look to him when he named the sword. Kaya felt like she's missing something important. She can only speculate that it is something personal to him if she doesn't know it.

"So, when will you be leaving on this training trip?"

She asked in an attempt to change the topic.

"Tonight. I'm having the Professor look over our equipment while I submit my reports. A month worth of report is quite a lot."

"True."

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Haruka gave a nod to Kaya as he got up and leave through the nearest window. Once Haruka left, Kaya straightened herself and told whoever knocked to come in. The door opened to reveal a familiar blue-haired junior Inquisitor now wearing her brand-new uniform.

Xenovia is currently wearing a form-fitting long-sleeved black leather top with a black pants and leather boots. On her shoulder is a white cape adorned with sigils all across the edges and an ornate golden cross design in the center. She also wore a pair of black fingerless gloves.

The girl looks nice in her new uniform, and she should be since Kaya had to go to the Professor to request a custom-made uniform set. Made with the best synthetic material for the highest possible defense the greatest mind in the church can produce, it might as well cost her an arm and a leg to have it made. That on top of the sigil arrays she personally weaved into the fabrics, Xenovia better appreciate her new uniform because it's a pain to make and very expensive, not that the girl would know it.

"Xenovia, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Master, we have an emergency. The Excalibur fragments have been stolen."

* * *

-5 days later-

If there is one thing Kaya hated more than paperwork it is meetings, specifically meetings between all high-ranking members of all divisions. Currently, she alongside several people, all representatives of a major faction in the church military, are seated around a round table with the Pope sitting on a seat elevated from the rest. Such a strictly military meeting is rare but when it happens, Kaya must be present as leader of one of the strongest military group in the church.

Most of the faces are those she didn't bother to remember other than in passing. Those people are the ones sneering and have hidden agendas. They fancy themselves as intelligent and great schemers but really, those whose scheming nature shows are the worst schemers there is and she knew all their dirt and only need the order for her to cut their heads and none of them would realize that they're already dead.

It says a lot that almost half the war council are filled with those kinds of people, the warmongers from the radical side. But most of them are of little concern to them. She knew who are the truly dangerous people in this round table, those who held the power and sway over the rest of them. While there's at least thirty people all around, less than ten held the real power here.

The first she noted is a tanned man with spiky white hair wearing standard priest outfit complemented with a red holy shroud in the form of a cape. He is the current head of the Assembly and second youngest leader among the major divisions being only twenty six years old with only Kaya herself being younger. His name is Amakusa Shirou.

While he possessed the least influence among the major divisions, he is a prodigy who holds the complete loyalty of the Assembly when he took the leadership position after the two other leader candidates, Valper Galilei and William Woodsworth, became unavailable. He holds little influence outside the Assembly but inside it, his grasp on the organization is practically absolute. He is neutral in his opinion and focus more on improving the Assembly than following any political agenda. He's not quite an ally but Kaya knew that he is at least not her enemy.

Next she took note of is Petros Orsini, a large, muscular man in his thirties with long silvery hair donning an armor under a red tunic. He is the leader of the Chivalric Order, the knights tasked with the duty of defending Vatican. Fitting as the leader of the Chivalric Order, he values knightly honor and his vow above any political agenda. Kaya knew that personally, he disliked the supernaturals and have no problem going to war with them. But his vow to serve as a shield, a protector, trumps over any desire to fight. Therefore, as long as the Pope remains moderate, he will be a moderate.

Like with Shirou and the Assembly, Petros held little sway in the other divisions but he is the Knight Commander to his subordinates and they are all like-minded people who values chivalry. Their loyalty to Petros and the Pope is unshakeable even if one were to offer them any imaginable pleasures in the world. As long as the Pope remains, he is not her enemy.

Then there is of course the aging Cardinal Vasco Strada who is present as a retired senior exorcist of great influence. Of course, that is the official story. He is of course present as commanding officer of AX but above that, as one of the most influential Cardinal in the church. He was also the former commander of the Exorcist Agency.

Then there is Ewald Cristaldi, the vice-commander of the Exorcist Agency. Despite being the vice-commander, he wields immense influence among the rank-and-file exorcists, being the instructor to most of them when they were still in training. In fact, Kaya would dare say that he is the real leader behind the Exorcist Agency with the leader being a mere figurehead who simply fill paperwork.

When Vasco retired from Agency work and was appointed as the person in charge of AX, many thought that Ewald would be his successor. But he was passed up in favor of another man who, in Kaya's personal opinion, a more skilled but moderate bureaucrat than an exorcist, though that's likely the idea because while he is overall a kind and amiable person, Ewald is a true Crusader who follows the old teaching.

He is firmly on the side of hating anything non-humans and letting the Agency be led by him, while not as bad as it being led by a real warmonger, is still concerning and thus a more mediocore leader was appointed to serve as foil to Ewald's more questionable side. Even so, everyone here knew that Ewald is the one who actually leads the Agency even if it is not on paper.

After Ewald though is a person who Kaya would really consider to be her enemy, a dark haired man in red robe. Cardinal Francesco Di Medici, one of the most influential Cardinal in the church and someone firmly on the radical side. While not a powerful warrior like Vasco, his power and influence came from his oratory skill and passion.

He is the voice of the radical side, preaching the destruction of devils and genocide on everything humans would consider as 'monsters'. He is intelligent and he runs a tight ship. Uncompromising and ruthless even to his men. He even cut off Valper Galilei and ordered his execution because Valper became a burden despite being firmly on his side.

Them along with herself, Kaya Syokka of the Papal Inquisitors and Pope Gregorio, are the ones who really wield the power over the church's military.

"Master, is it really fine for me to be here?"

Xenovia asked in a whisper from her position behind Kaya's seat. She sounded nervous, and for a good reason. This is the first time she is in the same room as some of the most powerful people in the church. Normally, someone like her who's only a junior Inquisitor, shouldn't be the one standing behind Kaya. But since she's Kaya's right hand and personal apprentice, and due to other reasons, Kaya decided to bring her into this meeting.

"It is. Pay attention and keep a sharp mind, Xenovia. This place is as much a battlefield as out there."

Kaya told her. Sitting upright with hands folded on the table and a serious look on her face that Xenovia rarely saw on her, Kaya plays the role of the leader of the Papal Inquisitors. Like Petros who is sitting two seats away, she is eager to get things started which in turn would end the meeting faster. Soon it became clear to Xenovia who among these people are warriors and who among them are politicians.

"Let us get this meeting over with. So I heard that the Excalibur fragments have been stolen… again. Who is the culprit and where is it now?"

Petros started the meeting with a booming voice, going straight to the point without wasting time on pleasantries and small talks. Xenovia saw Kaya smirked for a moment. Like Kaya, Petros hates meetings like these. It is why among the division leaders in the church, she gets along best with him.

With Petros' prompting, everyone stopped chattering and the meeting started in earnest. In reply to Petros' questioning, Ewald stepped forward to read the investigation report from the branches that experienced this theft.

"According to our investigations, the swords were stolen by agents of Valper Galilei which includes Freed Selzeen and some unknowns. They have succeeded in stealing Rapidly, Transparency, and Nightmare. They attempted to steal Mimic as well but the wielder of Mimic is currently stationed in London and due to 'that incident', the London branch and the whole city is still in high alert, preventing any of the thieves to approach the wielder of Mimic. Excalibur Blessing is accounted for and there has been no attempt to steal it, possibly because it is not meant for combat use. As for Destruction…"

Ewald glanced at Xenovia, the current wielder of Excalibur Destruction which is her auxiliary weapon. The blue haired girl blinked when she felt everyone's eyes on her. She suddenly became very nervous. Luckily, after getting what Ewald implied, the gazes left her, easing her nerves a little.

"Valper huh? That man was obsessed with Excalibur even before he was caught. We should've gone after him when he escaped alongside Selzeen. It seems that we must carry out his death sentence seriously this time."

Shirou said with an unnerving smile, or at least unnerving to Xenovia. The man speaks about executing his former colleague as if he was talking about the weather.

"So we have three Excaliburs stolen. Those things are sometimes more trouble than they are worth."

Petros muttered the last part but anyone close enough could hear him clearly. Kaya is of the same opinion.

"Well, we have identified what swords were stolen. How did it happen anyway?"

The Head Inquisitor asked, curious about how the theft happened. So Ewald read the investigation report further.

"Apparently the wielders were ambushed by the thieves on their way back from their respective mission. Exhausted and caught off guard, they were killed and their swords were stolen."

Ewald then passed around some photographs. When Kaya got hold of the photos, she showed it to Xenovia. The photograph shows the corpses of several exorcists left by the roadside of whatever country they're in when they were ambushed and killed but several pictures that Xenovia noticed were of the same exorcist are worse than the rest. She looked at the picture in disgust. The victims in the particularly bloody pictures did not die a clean death. It was like they were butchered by some wild animals.

"The bloody ones have Selzeen written all over them."

The Head Inquisitor said as she passed the photos to the Pope who look disturbed at the handiwork of that particular stray exorcist. Those who are not seasoned combatant in at least one point of their life made a face when they saw the pictures.

"We can't let the Excaliburs fall into the hand of these people. We must send some exorcists to retrieve them!"

One Archbishop voiced. Several others nodded in agreement and while the others didn't show it, at least this is one thing they all can unanimously agree on no matter which side of the political spectrum they are on.

"We have done just that. When the swords were stolen, we immediately activated the trackers placed in the core. The swords have crossed continents and finally converged in one country three days ago. The swords are now in Japan."

There were mutterings when Ewald revealed the location of the sword. When Kaya heard where the swords are, she tensed. Japan, that country is currently high with Devils and Grigori activity. What is Galilei planning by bringing the swords there? Is he planning on starting a fight with the devils and fallen angels? Not to mention the Shinto faction. Is the man entering a minefield with all the intention to step on a mine?

Kaya narrowed her eyes as she observed the reactions of other people in the council. Some of them look worried while others are thoughtful. But what she is watching out for is those who are scheming, and her eyes found their way to Cardinal Di Medici. The man has a glint in his eyes that Kaya recognized as the moment when the gears in his head is turning. He is planning something.

"The Agency have sent several exorcists to try retrieve the swords in the past two days. Unfortunately, all the teams were killed as of this morning. The last skirmish our team have with the thieves was in Hokkaido just after they crossed Russia and landed on the far east. The last report we have said that Freed Selzeen can use Excalibur Rapidly and Nightmare."

There were gasps heard around the room when Ewald told them that Freed can wield two Excalibur fragments. He was not a natural-born wielder of the swords so that can only mean one thing considering who his collaborator is.

"So Valper continued his research after all."

Shirou muttered. But with this new knowledge, the council is on edge. Someone as dangerous and unstable as Freed being able to wield two Excalibur fragments, and possibly more, is something many of them don't want to imagine. Only the division leaders, the Pope, and Cardinals Strada and Di Medici kept calm.

"If what you said is true, then sending ordinary exorcists will make no changes. Sister Syokka, could you spare some Inquisitor to undertake this mission?"

Petros requested to Kaya. Unfortunately, loathe as she is to admit it, she has none to spare apart from either herself or Xenovia. She doesn't trust most of her subordinates and those that she did trust are either currently unavailable or not suited for this kind of mission. The current Papal Inquisitors, the real Inquisitors, are weak. And while she would personally volunteer herself any other time, it is currently a precarious time for her and she cannot afford to leave the Pope at the moment.

"Please wait a moment. I took offense in what you just said, Brother Petros. The Agency is still capable of fielding exorcists that can undertake this mission. When I heard that our last team failed, I immediately summoned more capable exorcists currently enroute here."

Petros rose an eyebrow at Ewald's claim.

"I am sure you can but I believe that the Papal Inquisitors are better suited for this task. Tracking down wanted criminals are part of their duty after all."

It used to be. But lately that kind of job didn't come to them as frequently as before. Not when half the organization is what the Inquisitors should be hunting in the first place. Much to Kaya's lament, she'll be hard pressed to live up to Petros' expectation at the moment. Well, maybe she could but other than herself, there is only one person she could trust and is capable in carrying out this mission. Maybe this will be a good time to give her a real mission, within reason of course.

"The Inquisitors will gladly take on this mission. Though any help from the Agency would be appreciated. At this moment, I can only field one person for the task. I would appreciate it if the exorcist fielded by the Agency can work together with my Inquisitor. Is this acceptable for you, Cristaldi?"

Ewald grunted in slight annoyance but nodded in agreement nevertheless. Kaya was relieved that he agreed with her compromise. While the man is not exactly power hungry, he took pride in the Exorcist Agency he ran and has some sense of competitiveness with other divisions, particularly the Papal Inquisitors and other smaller but elite organizations like AX whom he saw as undermining the Agency he loves.

"Thank you. Then for this mission I will be fielding my apprentice, Junior Inquisitor Xenovia Quarta."

Xenovia was surprised when her name came out from Kaya's mouth. She gave her master a questioning look but Kaya nodded to her and showed a reassuring smile. Excalibur wielders or not, Kaya is confident that Xenovia can win against Freed and whatever stray exorcists Valper throw in her direction. While she's far from her own level, Xenovia's combat potential have surpassed everyone who are not the best of the best. The likes of Freed, even if he wields one or two or even all Excalibur fragments, won't be able to beat her apprentice.

Ewald frowned but nodded nonetheless. Come to think of it, she didn't talk to him about acquiring Xenovia as her apprentice, practically taking the Durandal wielder from under the Agency's nose. All she did was talk to Griselda, Xenovia's legal guardian and direct superior, and then gave the paperwork to the Agency head. She forgot that Ewald was the one who actually ran the Agency since she was in high spirit and rather excited back then. Well, the man was not surprised when he saw Xenovia walking into the meeting room so he must've known.

"Originally we would like the Excalibur Destruction returned to us and the new wielder will be sent together on this mission with the wielder of Excalibur Mimic. It is usually the norm to send Excalibur wielders to retrieve and stolen Excalibur. But since you will be sending her, Junior Inquisitor Quarta may keep Excalibur Destruction for the duration of this mission. And return it to us when she returned."

The Agency still want to monopolize the Excalibur fragments after all. No matter. They can have Excalibur Destruction for all she cares. They can even have Durandal when she's done with it if they wanted to. As long as they don't demand Xenovia back then it's fine. But sending Excalibur wielders to subjugate the Excalibur thieves? That's risky, right? What if the Excalibur wielders they sent have their Excalibur also stolen? That just means giving more Excalibur to the thieves! She really needs to talk with Ewald about that policy.

Suddenly Xenovia leaned in and whispered to her.

"Umm, master, the wielder of Excalibur Mimic, isn't that normally…"

"…ahh."

Kaya just remembered who normally wields Excalibur Mimic on missions. In fact, she actually put an effort to remember the name, if only because the wielder is related to her arguably best friend.

"Well, at least it is someone you already knew."

Xenovia sighs but can't help smiling. All things said, she does miss Shidou Irina and is looking forward to seeing her friend again. Maybe she can hear more about what happened in London.

* * *

 **Right, so this is pretty much just politics and stuff to decide who goes on this mission, officially that is. By the way, the characters I featured are not OCs but characters I borrowed from Trinity Blood and Nasuverse. Ohh and of course I'm going to use a different Pope because I'm not comfortable in using the real one. Now, there are minor details that differ from canon about this Excalibur arc and this minor details made all the difference. Anyway, this is as far as Kaya's point of view will go for now since Xenovia will be taking center stage starting from the next chapter when she's sent to Japan, or Kuoh but they don't actually know that yet.**

 **Dracus6: I don't think that has any relevance to this story but... the next chapter is halfway done. I've finished the Charles side of the chapter but I'm still figuring out Ichika's side.**


	32. File 32

**File 32: Arrival And A reunion**

Xenovia have experienced travelling a lot during her time as part of the Exorcist Agency, though she had never gone anywhere further than Europe. This would be her first cross-continental travelling for one of her mission. With passport in her pocket and suitcase in hand, she is now waiting just outside St Peter's Square for her mission partner to arrive.

As she waited, she once again reviewed her objectives for this mission. Her main objective is the retrieval of the Excalibur fragments and her secondary objective is the execution of Freed and Valper. As long as she completed her primary objective, not completing the secondary objective is fine, but personally speaking, Kaya wanted her to execute Freed and Valper on principles alone due to the atrocities they have committed.

Her master told her to not hold back the moment she saw her opponent. She is superior to Freed in every way but the gap is not big enough for her to completely underestimate him. The moment they battle, she must draw Durandal and strike him down. She must make her first strike decisive. If nothing goes wrong, she could complete this mission in less than a week. Though if she could, completing it on the day she arrives in Japan would be best, two or three days at most.

She is, after all, going to step into Japan and the church has no jurisdiction or even connection at all in that country. If anything happens with the locals, there will be very few things they can do. And with the political condition being like how Kaya described it before, she can't even afford to antagonize the Devils officially living in Japan, and there's a very high chance that they would have a confrontation with the Devils since the last place where they detected the Excaliburs in was in Kuoh, the Devils' local territory.

Kaya had made it very clear to her. No matter how much she wanted to or how much she was told to, she must not antagonize the devils or the local Onmyouji as news is that there are some high-profile Shinto faction agents likely acting as ambassadors in Kuoh. It goes against all her previous teachings to act polite to devils but she has no choice. As Kaya would say, blame politics. The political field is the unofficial eighth circle of hell and politicians are even more devilish than devils themselves.

"Xenovia, sorry to keep you waiting!"

Xenovia was broken out of her thought when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She turned around and saw Irina running towards her. Unlike her who is now wearing her new uniform, Irina is still wearing the standard issue female battle suit with the white robe. She doesn't look like she's carrying anything with her but Xenovia's improved senses could feel that she has Excalibur Mimic with her out in the open. Knowing her friend, the sword is likely disguised as an accessory somewhere on her person.

"You're late."

"I said I'm sorry!"

"Whatever. Let's go. Our flight departs in two hours."

Irina nodded. Since it is a territory far outside their jurisdiction, they will have to enter the country through normal means, which is taking a commercial flight.

Exorcists have many means of transportation from mundane to supernatural. While teleportation would be a go-to means of transport, it is also frowned upon by governments as it is considered trespassing upon sovereign territory unannounced, which is why the ability to teleport is not taught to most exorcists below a certain rank. Only exorcists with indispensable abilities and combat prowess were taught such spell in order to move around much easily during emergencies and the use is closely monitored, officially speaking that is.

On top of that, since they are going to a territory outside their jurisdiction, illegal trespassing is definitely a big no, especially with the current political climate. It is why she is still wearing her cape even if it made her stand out. When they get to Kuoh, they must announce their presence to the local Devils first and then the Shinto faction representative and during those time, they must wear their uniform to show who they are, even if it is eye catching and terrible for stealth. Though Kaya did say that stealth is not what she's meant for.

With Irina's arrival, the two of them went to a car parked nearby where a priest is seen behind the wheels. The car will be their ride to the airport. As the two got in and they were driven off to the airport, a casually dressed white haired teenage girl sitting on a motor bike watch them leave.

"So that is Haruka's sister and the newest Inquisitor."

The girl mumbled as she put on her helmet and started her bike's engine. She has a job to do and, perhaps, a promise she can finally cash on from Vasco.

* * *

It was two days ago when Irina got a summon from the Agency HQ.

Apparently, some of the other Excaliburs have been stolen and as tradition dictated, other Excalibur wielders would be sent to retrieve the sword. It's quite an honor for her to receive this mission so with haste, she flew from London to Rome within the next twenty-four hour.

When she was briefed by Cardinal Deacon Cristaldi, she noticed that she's all alone. That's unusual. An exorcist was rarely sent into the field alone, at least not an exorcist of her rank and caliber. Exorcists of lower ranks are usually put into teams of two at least and four at most. Only the best of the best have the right to do solo mission. So she asked Ewald why she's alone.

Cristaldi then told her that for this specific mission, she will be sent as support to an Inquisitor, though he emphasized on the 'junior' part. The Cardinal Deacon then told her that she is to meet the junior Inquisitor and work with her to complete the mission. That was a first. Irina had never worked together with an Inquisitor before, even a junior one which means it's a fresh recruit, but she heard that Inquisitors are picked from some of the best warriors in the church. Some exorcists even dreamt of being picked to be one, and she was no different.

She was excited. It's a chance for her to see how an Inquisitor fights. She even planned to tell Xenovia about it, feeling that it is another opportunity for her to become stronger and better. But that idea immediately got thrown out of the window when Ewald Cristaldi told her the name of the junior Inquisitor. Xenovia Quarta.

Which finally lead her to this moment.

As the car rode to the airport, Irina can finally catch her breath. She then looked at her partner who is dressed differently from usual. Unlike the standard uniform she is wearing and the one Xenovia wore before, her current look does scream elite exorcist.

Irina was honestly surprised when she heard that Xenovia is a junior Inquisitor but with how she dressed, apparently it's the truth. Which also means that her friend technically outranks her now as Inquisitors are the Pope's elite force. How should she address her now? Earlier, she answered back to her in her usual manner but now that reality had sank in, what she did would be considered rude to a superior. In a bit more subdued voice, Irina then spoke.

"Umm, Xenovia? Congratulation on your promotion."

She told her. The blue haired girl tilted her head in slight confusion before finally realizing what she meant. She then acknowledged her with a nod.

"Thanks, but it's not exactly a promotion. I'm still just a junior Inquisitor so there's no need to treat me differently. Besides, you wouldn't say that if you knew how and why I got to be one."

Xenovia muttered the last part which Irina didn't quite catch. But to just say that she's 'just' a junior Inquisitor? Many exorcist in the force wanted to be in her position dammit!

"It's still amazing! When did you get promoted?"

"About a month ago, I think a few days after you left, I challenged your brother to a spar to see where I stood compared to someone like him. Though Haruka beat me easily, I kinda impressed the head Inquisitor enough to recruit me as her apprentice."

The head Inquisitor. Irina remembered her. Kaya Syokka, her brother's friend and the leader of the Papal Inquisitors. So Xenovia was recruited personally by her as her apprentice. Without realizing, Irina clenched her hand over her heart. Xenovia was acknowledged by someone so strong. Irina still remembered what Kaya said to her when she first met her.

 _"Are you sure she's your sister? I remember her face from our list of artificial holy sword wielders and I have to say she's… not impressive."_

Those are the exact words Kaya Syokka said right in front of her brother and two others, Esther and Valerie. She is not impressive, nothing compared to her brother and his companions. She could see that. Back during the incident with the berserk Sephiroth Graal, she couldn't do much to help. No, it's worse than that. She was nearly killed by an opponent her brother and any of his friends could easily fight. She would've died if not for her father's intervention.

And then she heard about it, the battle. Her brother fought the monstrous vampire in an epic battle together with Esther, Valerie, and chief Richard and they emerged victorious. They won against an opponent exponentially stronger than her own. Granted, they fought together, but it's still far above what she is capable of. And now she heard her constant mission partner has been acknowledged by the Inquisitor who easily dismissed her.

Irina mentally shook her head. No, she couldn't feel down. She is aware that she's weak. That fact has been shown time and again in the past month since she reunited with her brother. If anything, she'll use this mission to prove that she's capable. Right, heads on the game. She has to focus on the mission.

"So, I know that we're going to retrieve some Excalibur fragments stolen by Freed Selzeen and Valper Galilei but is there anything else you need to mention?"

"Well, the mission is straightforward enough. Track the Excalibur fragments, execute Valper and Freed and anyone who helped them, retrieve the swords, return back. It's a simple retrieval mission. The problem though is where the swords are last seen."

"Where is it?"

Irina asked. Xenovia frowned and look as if she's having a hard time trying to find the proper words to explain what she's about to say next.

"We'll be going to Japan, specifically Kuoh, a town under the jurisdiction of Ingvild Leviathan, the daughter of Maou Serafall Leviathan."

* * *

-Kuoh-

"Uwaah! It's been a long time since I was last here. So many things have changed since then. I didn't remember that shop being around back then."

Irina said out loud as she looked around the town while they walk. Her statement surprised Xenovia. While she knew that Irina came from Japan, she didn't know that this is her hometown. That's a surprise. While Irina frowned when she learned that her hometown is under the devils' rule, especially the daughter of a Maou, she is no less excited when she actually stepped foot into the city.

"So, you really used to live here?"

Xenovia questioned. Irina nodded in affirmation.

"Yup. My family used to live here and there's an old church where my papa used to hold sermons but my family got reassigned to UK suddenly. Papa never told me why though."

That's news to her. To think that the church used to have a presence in Kuoh, did something happen that made them pull out? Likely so. As an Inquisitor, Xenovia is always warned to keep her mouth closed but her mind open. Inquisitors are partway investigators too.

An investigator must always keep their mind open and not just listen to people talk and take it at face value. She must see things from all angles and can't come to a conclusion without solid evidences grounded on facts. While she had not received extensive training in that area, Kaya had at least incorporated the values into her mind.

Something happened in Kuoh back then that pulled the Shidou family out of the town. But that's not what she is here to find out. A curious and inquisitive mind is the pillar of an investigator. But priorities must also be set unless she wanted to lose herself to the mysteries surrounding the world. That is what Kaya always told her. Her current priority is to meet the devils and Shinto agents.

"Since you used to live here, do you know where Kuoh Academy is?

Irina tried to remember if she had ever heard about the school before but ultimately shook her head.

"I don't think it exist when I still lived here or if it does, I never noticed."

Xenovia sighed. It looks like they will have to ask around. At least she has Irina around or the language barrier would be a problem. While the church does teach translation spell out of necessity, and Kaya did try to teach her, her understanding of the arcane is so low that she can't perform it. That's why she learned languages the hard way. Since she always operated in Europe though, she could at least make do with English, Italian, German, and French, which is her usual area.

Just as Xenovia was about to tell Irina to ask around though, she felt the presence of magic in the air. When she looked around to search where the source of the magic is, she felt something landing on her head. She looked up and saw that a small bird had landed on top of her head. When the bird opened its beak though, it started to speak.

"Follow my shikigami. It will lead you to the academy."

The voice is distinctly female and mature. Hearing the bird spoke surprised both Irina and Xenovia but it also means that their presence is already known to whoever sent it. Searching her mind for a bit, Xenovia recalled that shikigami refers to the kind of familiar an Onmyouji and Miko would use. That means the Shinto faction was the one who found them.

"Lead the way."

Xenovia told the bird on her head. The bird took off and fly slowly over them. The two followed the shikigami as it led them through Kuoh until they arrived in front of a large school building with opened gate. As it is already dark, there are not that many students about. Though those that are around have presence of magic around them. That means they are involved in some way with the supernatural side so both of them would have no worry walking into the school while wearing their uniform.

The school have a strong presence of magic all over the place and when they passed through the front gate, they could feel that they have passed through a barrier field. Xenovia couldn't tell what kind of barrier it is but since it let them through, they are at least acknowledged as guest by whoever made it.

The bird shikigami continue to lead them through the school and behind it where a smaller school building is located. They entered the building and was led to the second floor until they stopped in front of a double door. The shikigami then turned into an ofuda as the door opened and the ofuda flew into the room. Before they entered though, Xenovia whispered to Irina.

"Irina, I want you to keep quiet while I talk with the devils and Shinto representative. I have my orders."

Irina nodded though she does look confused for a moment. But remembering that Xenovia currently outranks her and since it was an order, likely by the Head Inquisitor herself, Irina has no choice but to agree. Besides, Xenovia looks very serious.

The two church agents entered since their host has graciously opened the door for them. Inside is a group of people. Due to experience and constant fighting against stray devils, Xenovia could tell that most of them are devils with only one person present being… something that is not a devil but she also couldn't quite tell.

The junior look around. There are at least six devils in the room. One is a girl dressed in gothic clothing standing in one corner watching them carefully with a toothy smile that shows a pair of fangs. Former vampire. Another two is a pair of girls, one older and one younger with the older being black haired and the younger being white haired standing on the opposite side of the room to the gothic vampire devil.

The last two are right in front of them. The only male devil among them is a blonde-haired boy standing behind the sofa and the only devil sitting is a girl with long red hair who possess the largest demonic presence among them. If Xenovia have to guess, the red head is a Gremory. She heard that among Ingvild Leviathan's peerage is a member of the Gremory house and their most visible characteristic is their shared blood red hair.

Sitting next to the Gremory is young woman wearing Japanese priestess outfit. She has long black hair tied into a ponytail and a disarming smile that actually made Xenovia wary of her. From her appearance alone, the young woman must be what the Japanese call a Miko. People equivalent to nuns from their church. But according to Kaya's lesson, the Miko of Japan actually held more importance and authority than their nuns to the point that even the lowest ranking Miko have authority equivalent to a regional Bishop.

Xenovia got the feeling that even among Miko, this young woman is someone very important.

The junior Inquisitor look around some more. There is one person she expected to see but she can't find her anywhere. Ingvild Leviathan appears to be absent. Kaya had given her a picture of Ingvild and she is a girl with purple hair. There are no signs of someone with purple hair around.

"Welcome, exorcists. I hope you have a nice trip. Please, sit down."

The Gremory offered them a seat across herself with a pleasant smile that did not reach her eyes. Xenovia had seen such smile just a few days ago during the meeting. A so-called business smile. The Gremory is probably forcing herself to play nice to people who she should consider enemies. The church agents took their seat with Irina facing the Gremory girl while Xenovia is seated across the Miko.

"I suppose introduction are in order. My name is Rias Gremory, the Queen of Ingvild Leviathan's peerage. Unfortunately, our King is currently absent due to a business in Kyoto that she cannot put on hold. As the Gremory heiress and the Queen, I will be acting as her representative."

So that's why they haven't seen Ingvild Leviathan. If Ingvild is absent due to business in Kyoto then it can't be helped. The business must be important if she has to go all the way to the Shinto faction's seat of power. Though that fact just gave more credence to what Kaya told her about the devils joining hands with the Shinto faction.

"And my name is Himejima Akeno, the Miko of Susanoo, one of the Sandai Miko of Japan."

The black haired Miko introduced herself. Xenovia widened her eyes, recognizing the title Kaya mentioned during their crash course before she was sent here. A Miko is already a prestigious title but even among Miko, the three Miko hailed as the greatest of them all are called the Sandai Miko, the greatest authority in Japan next to the Amatsukami themselves.

They are basically like the equivalent of a Pope in Japan, except there are three of them and each serving one of the Shinto Trinity and each was said to possess ultimate-class power on their own. They along with the Onmyouji Generals are the current backbone of Japan's forces. To think that one of them is present here. It makes Xenovia glad that she took that crash course in acting polite from her master.

"A pleasure to meet the two of you, heiress Gremory, Miko of Susanoo. I am Xenovia Quarta, a junior Inquisitor. This is my partner for this mission, Shidou Irina, an exorcist."

Xenovia introduced herself politely. This earned her a surprised look from Irina to hear her friend speaking so formally and politely, especially to a devil, or even politely in general. The blue haired girl though hoped that she didn't sound too odd. She nearly spat when speaking Gremory's name on reflex. Because of this, neither of them noticed Akeno eyeing Irina when she was introduced.

"My master, the head of the Papal Inquisitor, have written letters addressed to the representative of the devils and Shinto faction respectively. These are for your eyes only."

From inside her uniform's pocket, Xenovia took out two letters. One addressed to Ingvild but since she's absent it's given to Rias and the other addressed to whomever would represent the Shinto faction. The devil and Miko took the letter addressed to them and opened them. When they read the content, their expression turned grim.

"I see. We have read and understood what the head Inquisitor have requested from us. For the duration of your mission, the devils have agreed to grant you freedom of movement in our territory provided you do not cause any trouble, is that okay with you, Himejima-san?"

Rias look towards Akeno who nodded in agreement.

"We have no reason to prevent you from carrying out your mission. It is also in our best interest to have you complete your mission as soon as possible. If you need any help, you can come to us. Ahh, though if you're not comfortable in asking the devils for help, then you may ask us anytime."

"We will keep that in mind. Thank you and may the Lord bless you for your understanding."

Akeno just nodded while the devils were assaulted by a mild headache when Xenovia pray for them. The blue haired Inquisitor got up and then bowed. She immediately took her leave, gesturing at Irina to follow. The moment they got out of the building, Irina ran up to her.

"I'm surprised you of all people can speak politely to them. Though is that fine? I was told to tell the devils not to get in our way."

"We are imposing on their territory. Not to mention there is a representative from the Shinto faction, and a very high-ranking one. We can't afford to antagonize them."

"Hnn, so, that was all an act? You being polite."

"Pretty much. I'm not used to it, especially when speaking to devils, but master have emphasized the importance of keeping up appearances, especially in foreign soil far outside our jurisdiction. Remember Irina, we have no allies here. The least we can do is to not make more enemies than necessary."

"I see."

Irina nodded, though whether it is in understanding or because she has nothing else to reply with is unknown to Xenovia. Honestly, all this politics and formalities is a headache and she's feeling it. Thinking is not her strong suit and posturing is not her style. That's why Kaya gave her those formal letters. That way, Xenovia doesn't need to say more than the bare minimum needed.

Even then, the short meeting is already giving her a migraine. She had to recall much of her etiquette lesson, which is a crash course, in a short amount of time and need to keep herself focused so as to not slip into her exorcist attitude which is shoot devils first, ask question never. Well, not that bad but some exorcists have distinctly foul mouth when encountering a devil, especially church-raised ones like her and that goes double for Catholic exorcists.

Irina who has a living family and part of the Protestant sect has better general attitude and Xenovia is thankful for that. If she were a Catholic exorcist, and a church-raised above that, she would've disobeyed Xenovia's request and pick a fight with the devils on sheer principles alone. She should know. She was one such exorcist before.

"So, we got the permission now. Let's start our…"

"Umm, Xenovia, before that, can we spare some time to visit a childhood friend of mine?"

Irina requested. The junior Inquisitor frowned. They are here for work, not pleasure, and they have a timetable to keep. Her master said that it's best to complete their job as quickly as possible. The blue haired knight gave it a thought.

"Well, I suppose if it is only for a moment."

Irina cheered. As they left the school, the youngest Shidou led her through the streets. After knowing where the school is located, Irina now knows where to go from there to her childhood friend's home. They past through several blocks until Irina finally stopped in front of an ordinary-looking modern house.

"Huh, the place had changed since I was last here."

If she's been absent for years then it's bound to change one way or another.

Irina look at the nameplate on the outside wall of the house. Nodding to herself, she then skipped to the front door. Xenovia also read the nameplate, or tried to. Because the nameplate is written in Japanes kanji, she doesn't know what's written on it. But if Irina still walk in after reading the nameplate, then that meant the house still belong to her old friend.

Xenovia followed her friend from behind. Irina had knocked a few times but there's no answer from anyone. The exorcist girl frowned and knocked once again. Like before, there's no answer coming from the inside. Now that she thought about it, Irina's friend is a normal person, right? The two of them are still dressed in their uniform. Wouldn't they look strange to anyone who's not part of the supernatural?

"That's odd. Even if Ise-kun and his father are out of the house, mrs Hyoudou should be in. Are they out on a vacation or something?"

The chestnut haired girl wondered. If her friend is not here then they should probably leave. To normal people, they would look like a couple of strange people standing in front of an ordinary person's house. Just as she's about to ask Irina to stop though, Xenovia's instinct told her to move as she sensed a powerful aura approaching at high speed. Drawing Excalibur Destruction quickly, Xenovia managed to block a ball of fire that pushed her back a bit just as the world turned unnaturally dark.

"A barrier?! Dammit, we're caught off guard! Irina!"

When Xenovia called out to her, Irina had already drawn her sword from somewhere. Excalibur Mimic took on the shape of a kite shield, an interesting choice, when another volley of fireball was shot at them. Channeling Durandal's power to Excalibur Destruction, Xenovia intercepted the fireballs together with Irina.

Once the volley ended, someone stood at the front gate of the house, a blonde haired girl wearing Kuoh academy uniform. The girl is glaring at them as fire danced on the palm of her hands. An enormous amount of power is radiating from her entire body.

"What are you doing in front of our house, exorcists?"

The girl asked. Xenovia looked at Irina who is also frowning?

"Your house? This house belongs to the Hyoudou family! What did you do to them?!"

Irina shouted. Xenovia rarely saw her lost her cool but considering the implication of a supernatural claiming her friend's house as her own, Xenovia could understand… well, not really but she intend to be understanding about it. The blonde girl growled at them, but then a fist hit her on the head, causing her to yelp. The barrier around them also shattered.

"Kunou, you're overreacting again."

A boy's voice came from behind the girl who now turn from menacing to pouting in an instant. From behind her a boy walked in. From his posture alone, Xenovia could tell that the boy is well-trained, and if he could reign in the girl radiating such intense power moments before, this boy must be something else. True that she cannot feel any kind of power coming from him, but that either means one of two things. His power is so strong that she cannot measure it, or he is so skilled that he could completely conceal his presence. Neither one is good news to them.

"But…"

"No buts! Besides, we heard from Akeno that some exorcists will be visiting. Maybe they just want to say hello."

The boy chastised the blonde girl who look down in embarrassment. From what he said, they must also be a part of the Shinto faction. Wait a minute. If those two are part of the Shinto faction and they live here, doesn't that mean…

"Ise-kun?"

A wide eyed Irina whispered as she look at the boy. The boy heard her and tilted his head, looking confused as he looked back at the youngest Shidou.

"Uhh, have we met before?"

* * *

 **So the duo have officially arrived in Kuoh. Xenovia is expected to play nice and Irina is starting to have internal crisis. There's nothing much I have to say about this chapter other than I'm establishing Xenovia and Irina's characters. For Xenovia, she's starting to learn about her responsibility. For Irina, this is the beginning of her suffering. No, I'm not joking. Being Irina is suffering in here. Also, three guesses on who was following them.**

 **ElementGuardianTee: I plan to get back to that but... while I already have the general plot of the whole Civil War down, I still haven't worked out the details yet. Last thing I want is to make a major mistake that create an inconsistency with the whole thing.**

 **Dracus6: I have, but please put this in the Infinite UC review instead of here.**


	33. File 33

**File 33: Search For Excalibur**

"Uhh, have we met before?"

Hyoudou Issei tilted his head in confusion while looking at Shidou Irina. He leaned closer to get a better look. He even went as far as squinting his eyes as he examined Irina. Meanwhile, said girl is looking downcast, obviously disappointed that her childhood friend didn't remember her. Having had enough, Irina finally point to herself while shouting to him.

"It's me, Shidou Irina! Your childhood friend!"

The boy's eyes widened when he heard her shouting her name and the lightbulb in his head finally switched on. He finally recognized her, which made Irina happy.

"Ahh, Iri-kun! Wait, you're a girl this whole time?!"

Issei exclaimed in surprise as he pointed a finger at her. When he said that, Irina felt as if the world around her shattered. Behind her, Xenovia is trying to suppress a laugh by covering her mouth with her hand. It would've surprised Irina to hear Xenovia who usually like to remain stoic laughing at her but right now she's not in a state of mind to notice what her friend is doing.

"Mou, I am a girl! How could you not notice this whole time!"

The exorcist faked anger while pouting at Issei who raised both hand in mock surrender while smiling wryly. Irina can't believe that Issei didn't know she's a girl! Well, she did act like a boy when she was a child but how can he not notice?!

"Sorry sorry. It's just that you used to act like a boy so much. I see, so you are Iri-kun. How surprising. I didn't expect to see you here and as an exorcist no less."

"And I didn't expect you to know about the supernatural."

Irina narrowed her eyes while looking at the blonde kitsune behind Issei who is also looking at her in suspicion Noticing both of their looks though, Issei immediately got in between them to prevent any further conflict.

"Anyway, let's talk inside. We need to catch up sometimes."

Irina's expression immediately brightened when Issei invited them in but his companion frowned, clearly disagreeing with his decision. Irina couldn't care less though since she's happy that they're now reunited. While Irina is not quite happy that Issei had gotten himself involved with the supernatural side, at least everything pointed to him being part of the Shinto faction instead of the devils.

"Ise, I don't think it's a good idea to invite them in. They are exorcists you know."

The blonde kitsune warned him. Irina glared at her for that comment. She wondered if the blonde kitsune has something against them since she's been rather hostile towards them from the moment they met. Irina then turn to Xenovia who, to her surprise, look as if she's thinking while looking at them. Her friend was not the type to do much thinking before.

"Maa, don't mind about the small details, Kunou. Irina is Irina. I've told you about her before, right? Well, not the part where she's actually a girl but she's still a friend."

The blonde kitsune, Kunou, grumbled as Issei opened the door to their house and let the two church agents in. Once they're in the house, Issei pointed them to the sofa in the living room while he went to the back to prepare some tea. Thus, he left them together with Kunou who is currently glaring at Irina. Irina in turn also glare at the blonde kitsune. Xenovia sighs but as long as neither of them start a fight, she won't say anything.

"By the way, Irina's friend, do you prefer tea or something else?"

Issei suddenly asked from the kitchen. Realizing that he's addressing her, Xenovia immediately replied that she's fine with tea. Issei nodded and went back to preparing the drinks while the other two girls continue glaring at each other.

"Omatase!"

The only boy in the house cheerily exclaimed as he put down four cups of tea. The boy took his seat beside Kunou immediately across Xenovia. The boy looks unbothered by his friend and childhood friend's glaring contest as he took a sip from his cup.

"Let's start with introduction first, shall we? I've known Irina from before but the rest of us don't know the other."

Xenovia nodded. Irina don't think she needed any introduction since she already knew Issei and Xenovia and she doesn't care whether the blonde kitsune named herself or not but since not everyone knew each other, it is only polite to introduce themselves.

"That is a good idea. Then I shall start first. My name is Xenovia Quarta, junior member of the Papal Inquisitor."

Xenovia introduced herself along with her position in the church in the same nearly forced politeness she used during their previous meeting with the devils and the Miko of Susanoo. It looks like she wanted to keep acting in an official capacity.

"Umm, I don't know how Ise-kun knew about the supernatural but since he does, I guess I will reintroduce myself. Shidou Irina, an exorcist from the Protestant church!"

Irina cheerily reintroduce herself to Issei but gave Kunou the stink eyes which was responded in kind by the blonde fox.

"Hee, so Irina is an exorcist. I didn't know that. And a Papal Inquisitor? Isn't that the group of elite exorcists who answers directly to the Pope?"

"Yes, but not me. I'm still a junior Inquisitor. Though I am the student of the current Head Inquisitor."

"Hee, that's amazing. By the way Kunou, why don't you go next? Introduce yourself to our guests."

Kunou broke eye contact with Irina when Issei called out to her. She looked like she's greatly offended by what he just said.

"But Ise!"

"Kunou, remember the Club Tenet number 1."

The fox youkai stared at her friend for a moment before looking away and grumbling under her breath. She looked to Irina first but then looked away and turned to Xenovia instead.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kunou, a Miko, and daughter to Yasaka, the leader of Kyoto Youkai."

Both exorcist's eyes went wide at her introduction. The Kyoto princess?! What is the Kyoto princess doing here in Kuoh?! Irina does recall Xenovia mentioning about the Shinto faction trying to forge a diplomatic relation with the devils being their neighbor and all that but she thought that the only representative sent was that Miko named Akeno! Now they have the Kyoto princess herself here with Issei of all thing?!

That question was immediately answered when Issei finally introduced himself.

"Great! Now it's my turn. I'm Hyoudou Issei, one of the Ten Onmyouji Generals. It's nice to meet you, Xenovia-san, and it's great to see you again, Irina."

The boy introduced himself with a smile.

Onmyouji General.

An Onmyouji GENERAL.

Irina doesn't know much about power structures in other factions but even she knew that a General is meant to be a high-ranking officer in a military. And for Issei to have a title like that means he is considered as someone powerful among the Onmyouji.

While the church doesn't have much info on the Japanese Onmyouji and there are no lessons covering them, as a Japanese, Irina at least knew what they are. Onmyouji basically act in the same capacity as exorcist. They are, to the Shinto religion, what exorcists are to Christianity. And if she guessed it right, Issei's position is about equivalent to their own Cardinals or at least Cardinal Deacons.

What happened to him when she's not here in Japan?!

'Issei, what happened to you?'

Irina thought to herself. She knew that reaching such status in the supernatural world is extraordinary. He must have the power to back it up. Just what happened to him while she was away? Is he still the same boy she knew in the past? First her brother and then Xenovia and now Issei.

Irina finally realized. Everyone around her is changing.

* * *

"Goodbye Ise-kun! Let's catch up after I'm done with my mission!"

Irina wave goodbye to her old friend as she and Xenovia left the Onmyouji General's house. They unfortunately have to cut their visit short since they have a job to do. Irina wasn't happy since she couldn't talk much after the introduction but they'll have time for that after the mission… maybe. Xenovia doesn't mind staying one extra day in Japan so her friend can catch up or she can return by herself to Vatican while Irina stayed. But that's a thought for a later time.

Ise also wave back to her with a smile before returning back to the house. Kunou of course didn't even bother to say goodbye to them but she did nod to Xenovia as they left. While she noticed that Kunou doesn't seem to like them much, Xenovia got the feeling that she especially hates Irina for some reason.

Overall, that was an interesting visit in the junior Inquisitor's opinion. Xenovia didn't expect many things to happen when Irina said she wanted to visit an old friend. It turns out that not only is her friend is a member of the Shinto faction and housing the Kyoto princess, he is also an Onmyouji General.

Unlike her friend who likely doesn't know the full extent of what the title meant, Xenovia had been briefed about them from what information they do have. The Onmyouji Generals is a group of ten of the strongest fighters in Japan given the rank to act as leaders of the Japanese Onmyouji.

Though their names are unknown due to lack of information, Kaya speculated that they're likely around her own level in terms of power or even above as Japan has been embroiled in a civil war in the past century. Their combat experience would be considerable.

The Miko of Susanoo, the Kyoto Princess, and an Onmyouji General, those are big names. Suddenly that speculation about the Grigori and Devils joining hands with the Shinto faction doesn't sound like a simple gossip now. With such names present in Kuoh and seems to get along with the devils since Akeno did sit together with Rias during their meeting, their alliance is likely the real deal and only need to be made official.

Rias Gremory also mentioned that their King, Ingvild Leviathan, are together with the Maou Serafall Leviathan in Kyoto, the central seat of power of the Japanese supernatural side. As an Inquisitor, she was taught further about devils the church took note of. The Maou are of course at the top of that list and Xenovia recall that Serafall Leviathan is in charge of foreign affairs. It doesn't take a genius to see why Serafall is in Kyoto considering her position.

This is big news that she will need to report to her master. The alliance between the Shinto faction and Devils are pretty much cemented. But what about the other half of the rumor? The Grigori?

Xenovia shook her head. Investigating that is not her job. She only managed to put two and two together due to pure luck in getting the information she needed. If Rias didn't mention about their King's visit to Kyoto with the Maou Leviathan and if she hadn't met those three big names of the Shinto faction, she wouldn't have managed to figure it out.

Either way, it's a fruitful detour that she will include in her status update to Kaya tonight, which is soon since the sun is already on the horizon.

"Let's get to work then. Oi Irina…"

Xenovia called her friend so they can finally plan what to do. Due to the powerful barriers surrounding Kuoh, they can no longer track down the Excalibur fragments using the main tracking system. Fortunately, they do have a specialized tracking program for use inside barriers made by the Assembly. Its range is short though so they still have to be in the general area in order to detect those fragments. Xenovia wanted to tell Irina their next course of action… but her friend did not reply.

The blue haired Inquisitor looked back. Walking a bit more slowly behind her is Irina, but she is looking down and appear like she's in deep thought. It is an expression that she had never seen on her friend before. Sighing, she turned around and tapped her on the forehead.

"Oi, what are you daydreaming about? We have a job to do."

"Ehh? Xenovia! Job? Right, the mission! So, what's the plan now? Are we going to split up and look for the fragments?"

Irina was broken out of her thought and immediately return to her usual self. Xenovia looked at her with concern. Was she bothered that her friend is part of the Shinto faction? Or was it Kunou's treatment of her? She wanted to ask but right now, she has a job to do. When on a mission, they must focus. She'll ask what's bothering her when they're done with their work.

"No, that would take too much time and inefficient. The Assembly have developed a program that can track down the fragments inside barrier areas. We'll just have to follow this thing."

To Irina's surprise, Xenovia casually took out a smartphone from inside her pocket. She tapped it a few times, opening the menu and then the program given to her by the Assembly. It took her a while to figure out how to operate the device but it is useful.

"X-Xenovia, what is that?"

Irina asked as she pointed at the device in her hand. The Inquisitor looked and Irina and then to where she's pointing.

"This? It's a smartphone. It's a recently developed model made by the Assembly for our use. Time is changing so the Assembly figured that we need to keep up with time. I was skeptical at first but this thing does have its uses, like requesting backup from inside barriers, tracking down missing items, and easy access encyclopedia of magic to help find out what we are dealing with. Right now it is still on limited distribution because of budget constraint but the Assembly hoped that all exorcists can have this kind of phone in the future."

Irina never heard of that. But since it is a limited distribution device, that means only people important enough to the church can get their hands on it, and now Xenovia is on that list of 'important people' as a junior Inquisitor apprenticed to the leader of the Inquisitors herself.

If Xenovia still paid attention, she would've seen Irina looking down but right now, her attention is occupied by the tracking program in her phone. This is not the first time Excalibur was stolen by the church and it won't be the last so whatever tracking device the church put into the swords are always updated every once in a while and only very few people, mostly the leaders, knew where the trackers are located.

Yup, trackers. One sword would house multiple trackers both technological and magical to make sure there are multiple ways to track the swords down. It might sound excessive to have multiple ways to track down a fragment of a sword but that just shows how precious even these fragments are to the church, though some like Kaya and Petros would disagree for varying reasons.

With the program leading them, Xenovia and Irina walk around Kuoh. The range of the tracker they are using now is not quite far and is intended for a more localized search after the major tracker had pinpointed the general location of the swords. It is still much more convenient than just randomly searching the swords like in the past. There was a time when the church lost track of a stolen Excalibur for years because they can't track it down. It's a blessing that they're now living in the modern era.

The two of them are currently walking around the marketplace. Xenovia doubt that the thief is hiding in a place this crowded but you never know. Investigation requires her to never leave a stone unturned. It's tedious work but it's necessary, especially considering their culprit's psychological profile. Meaning to say, both are insane in their own way.

Although if she were a better investigator or detective or something similar, she won't even have to do this if she has her targets' psychological profile. With only their profile to go by, a capable investigator could either track down the culprit's exact location, intercept them on the way, or set up a trap by deducing their behavior.

Kaya had shown her once how to do it and apparently Haruka, according to her master, had tracked down Esther once using only her profile. Xenovia though is incapable of deducing how someone would act based on their profile alone.

If she could do such a thing… wait, she could! Xenovia wanted to berate herself for not doing this earlier and went straight for random searching even if they have a tracking program to help them. Without Kaya at her back to remind her and pressuring her with her stare, she fell back to her old habit of acting before thinking! The young Inquisitor shook her head and slapped her cheek. Her master won't be happy if she knew this.

Xenovia went to buy drinks for them as they sat down in the marketplace. She needs a cooler head to think. She had been thinking about a lot of things since she came to Kuoh from the meeting with the devils to Irina's friend being an Onmyouji General. In the midst of all that, she forgot that there's a simpler way to look for the swords than just randomly looking around, namely by setting a trap.

"It's rare for you to want to take a break so early. We've only been searching for about two hours. Usually you can go longer."

Irina commented from beside her as she drank her bottled water. Yeah, this is so unlike her, but Xenovia can't afford to stay as she was before. Looking down at the water in her hand, she opened the bottle cap and drank the content. She then took a deep breath as she try to clear her mind.

She's not as good as Kaya or Haruka in this deduction thing but she should be able to manage something. According to Valper and Freed's psychological profile, or at least what she can remember from the dossier given to her, both of them have a screw loose. If she recalled, Freed is a bloodthirsty psychopath while Valper is obsessed with his research on Excalibur.

According to Kaya's lectures, bloodthirsty psychopaths are easy to draw out. You just need a promise of a good fight to draw them in. Obsessed people like Valper are also not much different. Both kind are simple-minded madmen that if you have a good enough bait, their obsession and insanity would overpower their logic and lead them to you. Fortunately for them, they do have a perfect bait. As the gear in her head turns, Xenovia turn to her friend.

"Irina, change of plan. Do you know any secluded place where no one can bother us? Like an abandoned building or something."

Xenovia asked. Irina is more familiar with the town than herself so if there's anyone who would know where to fight without worrying about collateral, it would be her. Xenovia still remember what her master said about collateral damage. Irina thought for a while. That was when she remembered a place that fits Xenovia's request.

"There is a church at the edge of the town. Papa used to hold sermons there when we still lived here but it's probably abandoned by now. Why do you ask?"

An abandoned church. That is a good spot to fight the thieves without worrying about collateral. Xenovia nodded and get up from her seat. Gesturing at Irina to come, Xenovia then explain her plan.

"Just searching around town randomly will take too much time so I thought it would be better to make a trap for the thieves."

"A trap?"

"Yes, a trap."

Xenovia grinned as she explained her plan to Irina.

* * *

Xenovia is standing in front of the cross in the abandoned church with her Excalibur fragment on display right beside her. Her plan to draw out Freed and Valper is simple. Use herself and her Excalibur as bait to lure out their target. She's confident that those thieves will rise to the challenge. Valper's obsession with the Excaliburs would draw him out to her if she made it known that she possesses an Excalibur fragment he could steal.

Which is why she drew out Excalibur Destruction and put it on display. She has been steadily pushing her magic into the blade to strengthen its aura so that every being with sensitivity to magical energy knew that she is in possession of an Excalibur fragment. Valper and Freed won't mistaken it for anything else. Since they have the stolen fragments, they should be familiar enough with an Excalibur's aura signature to be able to tell. Valper aside, Freed should be able to sense Exclibur's aura. Sensing aura is part of basic training.

The Inquisitor is currently leaning on the altar with phone in hand. Finally, after several periodical check on her phone's tracking program, it detected a signal coming closer in the form of a yellow blip. No, not just one yellow blip. When she looked more carefully, she noticed that the blip is actually a collection of multiple blips gathered so close to each other. With the speed the signal is moving in, this must be Freed approaching them and he is carrying all the stolen Excaliburs. That is good.

"He's here."

Xenovia said as she put her phone back to her pocket. Behind the altar sat Irina who is just waiting. She got up and prepare herself for combat. Moments later, intense bloodlust filled the abandoned church. There's enough bloodlust in the air that would make an ordinary exorcist flinch but neither Xenovia nor Irina are affected. They have felt far worse. For Irina, it was during the Misty London incident. For Xenovia, it was when Kaya showed her the amount of pressure her full power can exert.

The door was suddenly blown from its hinges as a grayish white blur charged straight towards them at incredible speed. The blue haired Inquisitor easily saw it though and block the sword aimed at her with the thick blade of Durandal she drew at the last second. The attacker's eyes widen as he was beaten back by Xenovia's immense strength and heavy blade charged with Durandal's power. Along with the sound of shattering steel, the white-haired mad priest, Freed Selzeen, was sent flying through the wall with a resounding crash.

Xenovia actually blinked at this. She used her full strength to beat him back but was that enough to send Freed flying through a wall? And that shattering sound, was that an Excalibur fragment shattering? She could barely make Haruka move when he was holding back with this amount of strength and Kaya won't even budge. Other Inquisitors, those she actually sparred with, would be knocked back a little but all of them can stand their ground. But Freed was sent flying so easily with his sword shattered. Freed is supposed to be a famous stray exorcist considered dangerous due to his combat talent. It couldn't have ended like that, right?

Well, she shouldn't complain if her job gets easier. Picking up the Excalibur Destruction still stabbed in the floor with only one hand, she threw it with incredible speed and force at Freed. The white-haired priest is already coughing out blood as he tried to get up, not expecting his opponent to pack so much strength in her initial counterattack. Then he saw Excalibur Destruction shooting towards him. He would've tried to block or parry but his sword was shattered. Without time to properly dodge, Excalibur Destruction ripped through his right arm, causing blood to spurt everywhere. The stray exorcist screamed in pain.

Xenovia is not finished. She dashed towards Freed while gathering power in her sword. Do not let up her attack if she has the advantage, that was another lesson she kept in mind. Freed is a mad priest who had killed innocent people. There is no need for her to hold back and show mercy. Unleashing the power of Durandal in an uppercut slash, Xenovia sliced Freed in two without letting the mad priest even get a chance to retaliate.

"Well, that's mission accomplished."

The Inquisitor proudly said. She cut Freed in half with a charged Durandal. There's no way he can survive that. Though it's a bit messy, she had accomplished her mission. Although, as she approached Freed's corpse to retrieve the swords, she remembered something else. She actually does have a reason to hold back.

"Ahh, there's still Valper to find. Should've captured Freed to ask him where he is. Ugh, master won't be happy."

She muttered as she remembered the other thief that she should kill. Being focused is good, but to be so focused in one objective to the point that she has tunnel vision is not good. She still has a long way to go.

The whole battle, if it can even be called one, lasted less than a minute. If there was any doubt within Irina that her friend had gotten stronger then there is no more now. She had heard of Freed and how he had killed lots of exorcists sent to eliminate him. He has a formidable reputation among stray exorcists, and Xenovia killed him in less than a minute with minimal effort.

It reminded Irina of London, back when she first encountered the Ripper and then her fight against Marius. One side possess overwhelming power that makes the other seems feeble in comparison. The difference is that unlike her, Freed did not survive against Xenovia.

As she walked out from the church through the hole Xenovia made, she approached her friend who is currently wiping the blood from her sword.

"Is that it?"

Irina asked. Truthfully, this felt anticlimactic. When she was called and told that she's going on a mission as important as retrieving the stolen Excalibur fragments, she had expected long days of searching and a desperate fight against a powerful opponent who had killed numerous exorcists with his stolen swords. She did not think that it would end on the same day they arrived without her needing to draw her own sword.

"Yes, that's it."

Xenovia simply answered as she picked up the broken fragments of an Excalibur Freed has been wielding. She inspected the hilt that was left and try to identify which fragment it is. Though in the end it doesn't matter since she's going to bring it back to Vatican with her. The core is in the hilt anyway so even if she doesn't gather the blade fragments there would be no problem.

As she's about to put the hilt in her belt pouch though, Xenovia felt a change in the flow of magic in the air and her instinct screams at her. Channeling magic to her white cape, the sigils began to glow as she brought her cape to the front. The barrier spell weaved into her cape activated… and it was shattered a second later as something pierced her barrier. Fortunately, her barrier managed to hold just enough for her to get Durandal and enter defensive position. The sudden attack blasted her back but Xenovia managed to stand her ground.

"I heard from Valper that the church had sent only two more exorcists but I suppose this time they pick quality over quantity. I see, you are not part of the common rabbles if you are able to beat Freed so easily and now I have to clean up after him. Hmm, that sword is… the Durandal. Now this is interesting."

A cultured male voice came from above. The two church agents look up to the source of the voice and gasped. Above them is an angel with black wings, a fallen angel, and not just any fallen angel but one who possess ten wings, a fallen angel cadre!

"Who are you. Name yourself!"

Xenovia demanded as she enter combat position once again. A bead of sweat ran down her cheek as she looked up at the newcomer. A fallen angel cadre, the most powerful kind of fallen angel there is. These ten-winged fallen angels are leaders of Grigori and one of them is here. Why is he here? From the sounds of it, he is working with Freed and Valper. Does that mean… he is the mastermind behind the theft? Is Grigori involved in this? This development is unexpected.

"I suppose it's only polite. My name is Kokabiel, Angel of Stars. Now, I believe I shall be taking those Excalibur fragments back."

A dozen light spears appear around him. Seeing this, Irina quickly change her Excalibur Mimic into a tower shield while Xenovia took on a more defensive stance. The Angel of Stars grinned and with a wave of his finger, the spears shoot down from the sky.

* * *

 **Freed was killed so easily that I'm starting to worry about the story itself. But he is a minor villain and I have no idea how to write him so I killed him off just like that. Besides, it just shows how strong this Xenovia is in relation to ordinary exorcists, especially with her new training. Unlike in canon, Xenovia was explicitly told not to hold back and recently, she has been fighting enemies much more powerful than her and much more dangerous than the likes of Freed. In my opinion, Freed is only dangerous to the run-of-the-mill exorcists and low-class enemies. Xenovia is neither of these this time and she went with Durandal immediately. Durandal alone can shatter a fused Excalibur. She's also used to fighting touki user in the form of Haruka and her master so she's used to people actually withstanding and even repelling her strikes at full strength. So yeah, Freed is nothing if Xenovia went full strength from the very beginning. But now with Freed gone, Kokabiel is forced to clean up his mess, and that is not a good news for Xenovia and Irina.**


	34. File 34

**File 34: A Fallen Angel Descends**

There are times when a person would feel that the universe is messing with them, that it turns something simple into a big clusterfuck just for the amusement of some higher power. For Xenovia Quarta, a proud junior Inquisitor apprenticed to the head Inquisitor herself, this is that moment.

Her mission was simple; to retrieve the stolen Excalibur fragments and eliminate the thieves. It's simple and straightforward, especially since she has the tools to help her accomplish her mission. And it did end quickly and simply. With her brutal Inquisitor training and her own complete Holy Sword, the stray exorcist Freed Selzeen and his Excalibur fragments were easily destroyed.

The supposedly dangerous stray exorcist didn't last even one minute against her. He didn't even manage to get a word out before Xenovia brutally slaughter him as per her master's instruction. Honestly, from Freed's reputation, Xenovia imagined that she would be fighting an opponent of her caliber. Someone skilled and strong enough to keep her on her toes, especially since he wields an Excalibur fragment. She expected a stalemate or, if she was optimistic, held slight advantage over. Either way, she expected a clash.

She did not expect him to be utterly outclassed and defeated in less than thirty seconds. If she ever had any doubts of her improvement when training under Kaya, it has been blown away together with Freed moments ago.

How anticlimactic.

That thought crossed her mind the moment she sliced Freed in half. It was too easy and while she does feel proud of how much she had advanced in the month since Kaya took her in, it feels too easy and she had wished that Freed had given her more challenge like those monsters she fought a few days ago.

Then the universe decided to humor her and a Fallen Angel cadre appeared. A ten-winged Fallen Angel, a Fallen Angel who is so powerful that he had earned a place in the Bible recognized as one of the leaders of Grigori; Kokabiel, the Angel of Stars.

The blue haired exorcist swears that if she survive this, she will never complain about an enemy being too weak.

Dodging around the rain of spears and parrying those she couldn't avoid, Xenovia focus on trying to live through the assault. It didn't take as much effort as she expected though. Kokabiel is holding back since while the spears of light he rains down upon them are numerous, they are not the best Kokabiel could made. She knew this because Irina could weather the attack with her Excalibur Mimic in tower shield form while she can parry the spears without much problem.

While the Excalibur fragments are no doubt impressive weapons and many exorcists would like to believe that those swords are unbeatable and only an Excalibur can beat an Excalibur (apparently that was why Excalibur wielders are traditionally sent to retrieve missing Excaliburs), the truth was not so. Excalibur fragments, individually, are among the weakest holy swords there is, being mere fragments of a whole sword. Being mere fragments of a sword, each of them are actually rather fragile compared to even the weakest holy sword. A strong enough opponent can shatter one with sufficient force.

The fact that Irina's shield made of Excalibur Mimic haven't been shattered yet is proof enough that Kokabiel was holding back. Someone of his caliber should be able to shatter an Excalibur fragment easily. After all, Xenovia had done so just moments ago and she's not so arrogant to think that she is stronger than Kokabiel, not even with Durandal. Such arrogance had been viciously beaten out of her, sometimes literally, by Kaya.

"Hoo, it seems that the church really did send someone competent this time."

Kokabiel said, sounding impressed, which annoyed Xenovia. He is looking down on them, both figuratively and literally from his position floating above them leisurely. If only she could fly. Too bad she couldn't and the environment didn't provide enough footing to engage an aerial enemy easily.

"Then, how about this?"

More spears appeared, this time their light is brighter and Xenovia could feel the difference in power between the new batch and the previous ones. The new batch of spears rain down at a greater velocity than the previous one. It took Xenovia more effort to parry and dodge them but still manageable. She had faced worse.

One of her training include charging through a hail of machinegun bullets while equipped only with a light sword and standard uniform. What Kokabiel is doing to her is no different from that particular training. The training was apparently designed to handle this kind of tactic of overwhelming an opponent with sheer number of projectiles.

But still, even if she can handle the current batch, Kokabiel will definitely increase his effort once he knew she could handle whatever he is currently throwing at her. They need to retreat before Kokabiel take them seriously. Slowly, Xenovia made her way to Irina whose shield is slowly being chipped away.

"Irina, let's pull back for now."

Xenovia said to her as she used shockwaves from condensing and releasing Durandal's power to blast away half a dozen spears at once. Irina who heard her friend's suggestion answered through the volley.

"But what about the Excalibur fragments?"

That's right, there is still their mission to complete. The Inquisitor look over to Freed's corpse which is lying not far away. She already has one fragment in her pouch. That leaves two more with Freed. But she won't be able to retrieve it without dropping her guard and if she dies, Irina will die. There is no way her friend can face someone as powerful as Kokabiel. Even she can't, but she can at least survive a bit longer and maybe give Kokabiel a bit more trouble.

"…you go get the fragments and get out of here. Take shelter with the devils or the Shinto faction. This is already beyond our capability to handle. I'll try to buy you time."

Xenovia told her. Irina look up to her friend with wide eyes.

"You're telling me to leave you?!"

The youngest Shidou send her friend a look of disbelief.

"Between you and me, I am the only one strong enough to stall him. Once you've escaped, I'll try to escape on my own. Now go! I'll make this an order if I have to!"

Xenovia barked, raising her voice slightly. Irina grit her teeth in frustration but eventually nodded. Xenovia nod back and prepare herself for her next move. She's not sure if she can survive this or not but she will at least try her best. Flicking her left hand, a black key hilt appeared. She prayed that she could pull this off well enough. She then charged both Durandal and the black key with destructive holy energy. She will need to go beyond what she can handle safely if she wanted to even damage Kokabiel.

"On my mark."

The Inquisitor whispered. Then with a spin, she released the compressed energy inside Durandal, sending out a wave of destructive holy energy at Kokabiel, knocking aside many of his spears and even hitting him. He was caught slightly off guard and received the full force of the attack which seems to be enough to make him stop his volley. Without letting up her attack, Xenovia throw the black key in her left hand at the surprised Kokabiel and when it impacted him, it exploded.

"Now!"

Xenovia yelled as she leapt with her sword raised up. Kokabiel won't be taken down by such attack so she can't let up. At her signal, Irina ran towards Freed's corpse to retrieve the remaining Excalibur fragments.

As she got close to Kokabiel's position, a light spear appeared from the smoke left behind by her keys' explosion. She had expected that. Drawing more keys with her left hand, she blocked the spear and twisted her keys, interlocking them with the spear. With a slight push, she used the interlocking keys to boost her movement, leaping up further. Then she held Durandal with both hands and slam down hard with all her might at where Kokabiel approximately is.

A loud clang was heard as he and her opponent fell to the ground. Her hands shuddered as she felt her sword meet something very strong. She saw Kokabiel blocking her Durandal with a light spear held in his left hand. The cadre is frowning as she looked at her.

"I didn't expect you to be this strong. Tell me girl, who are you?"

He asked as he lightly push Xenovia back. The blue haired girl landed on her feet as she glared at Kokabiel. She really shouldn't answer him but, since she doesn't know if this is her last battle or not, she figured it's fine to name herself. Besides, unlike AX, Inquisitors operate in the open.

"Xenovia Quarta, junior member of the Papal Inquisitor."

A spark of realization crossed him and he nodded.

"I see, an Inquisitor. That would explain why Freed was defeated so easily and why you're so strong. I did not expect the church to send an Inquisitor."

After hearing her identify herself, Kokabiel seems to register her as a threat as his expression changed from neutral to serious. With speed Xenovia had only ever seen from her master when she was serious, Kokabiel moved. He kicked her hard in the stomach with enough force to actually obliterate a normal human being, no, an armored tank. The blue haired Inquisitor is luckily far more durable than any normal humans and by pushing some magic into the fabric, her uniform absorbed most of the impact, though if she's still wearing a standard uniform, she would've died because the impact is more than what the standard uniform can handle.

"Xenovia!"

Irina cried out her friend's name when she saw her being kicked. The impact can be felt even by her. Coughing out blood as she was sent flying through the church walls, Xenovia reposition herself midair, stabbing her sword into the ground as makeshift brake while pushing down the pain in her gut. It's not over though as Kokabiel suddenly reappeared behind her with a sword made of light in his hand. He slashed down at her.

Fortunately, Xenovia moved quickly enough to block his light sword with Durandal's flat side. The strength of his attack though slammed her to the ground with enough force to bury her into the concrete ground. Xenovia even felt the bones in her hands either cracking or got dislocated from defending against his attack.

"Hoo, you are a durable one. That kick was meant to kill even high-class exorcists and you could survive it with only this much injury, and this is without any magical reinforcement or touki. If only you were older, you would make quite an opponent even for me."

That was quite a praise to be acknowledged by someone who is pretty much a living legend. If only it was given under better circumstances, it would've made her feel quite proud. Unfortunately, she's currently feeling only pain.

"Tell you what, I'm currently in need of an exorcist's service and it is hard to get quality help these days and let me tell you, Freed is the last choice I would ever make if I can help it but sadly, he's the only one available that has the qualifications I need. If you join me, I'll spare your life and I will even personally train you. What do you say?"

Kokabiel casually say to her as he stood above her. He spoke as if he is offering an ordinary office job and not telling her to betray what she has been living for all her life. Xenovia would've laughed at the situation if she could.

"Go to hell."

Xenovia spat. The cadres sighed in genuine disappointment at her answer as if he is expecting any differently.

"Ohh well, I should've expected that. Inquisitors and AX Agents have always been different from the normal exorcist mob."

The cadre said. Xenovia was surprised that Kokabiel knew the existence of her rival group. She's under the impression that AX is a top secret group. That is another thing to think about… if she can survive this. As things are, she's at her wits' end.

"Speaking of normal exorcists mob though…"

Kokabiel suddenly disappeared. Xenovia wondered why he didn't finish her… until she saw Kokabiel lifting Irina by her wrist by Freed's corpse. Irina had tried sneaking behind him while he was distracted with Xenovia to retrieve the other swords. It seems that he's not as distracted as they thought.

"Hmm, you will do just fine."

Kokabiel then touched Irina's forehead. A wave of magic washed over her and the struggling girl immediately fell unconscious. Kokabiel then throw her over his shoulder and gesture at Freed's body with his hand. As he did so, the Excalibur fragments floated from the corpse and went to him.

Xenovia nearly panicked and forced herself to her feet. This is bad. Kokabiel is taking Irina for some purpose and Kokabiel has the remaining Excalibur fragments in Freed's possession. She can't let him get away.

"I'm sorry Inquisitor but I still have prior engagement to take care of. I would like to play some more and maybe convince you to join me but I have a schedule to keep. I will at least give you the honor of killing you properly."

As Xenovia was about to dash towards him, Kokabiel create a single spear with his free hand. Xenovia began to sweat, and it is not from pain. The spear in his hand is the strongest he had made so far. There's twenty times more magic condensed into that single weapon than what she herself can hold in her body at a time.

"Goodbye."

Kokabiel threw the spear at her. The moment the spear left his hand, it accelerated to the speed of sound. Xenovia saw her death as she cannot escape or block with her current condition. But before she could accept her death, a figure got in between her and the spear… and then there was an explosion. Kokabiel frowned.

"She escaped… with an AX agent."

* * *

Xenovia fell face first onto the floor after she reemerged inside an abandoned office building somewhere. She rubbed her nose which is thankfully not broken and the pain she is feeling is at least proof that she's not dead. Rolling to the side, she lied down on the floor to catch her breath but winced when her movement caused her broken bones to hurt.

"Are you alright?"

A voice asked. In surprise, Xenovia tried to stand up but failed. With all the adrenaline gone, she's currently in a perpetual state of pain all over her body. She needs to rest for a bit until she can move again. Fortunately, her rescuer came into her field of vision to calm her down.

Her rescuer is a young girl around one or two years her junior from her body proportion, or she could just be a late bloomer and actually older than her. She has white hair braided in twintail and she wore casual clothing consisting of a white long-sleeved buttoned up shirt and black vest with brown skirt and black thigh-high stockings and a pair of sneakers. Overall, she looks like an ordinary girl and Xenovia would've seen her as one if not for the faint traces of magic around her which is slowly receding almost to the point of nothingness, which means she is suppressing her power.

The thing that calmed her down though is the cross worn around her neck and that her face is vaguely familiar. Xenovia's mind went back to her early days of training when Kaya taught her about the different factions of the church, event he unofficial ones. Of all the groups, there is one that she pair attention to the most when Kaya mentioned them. That is of course the Special Operation Section, AX.

Xenovia remembered now. She had tried to commit the faces of the AX agents to memory, mostly because they are a group anyone should take note of and because Kaya said that she should establish a good rapport with them like she did with Haruka. She had of course personally came to know Asia, Haruka, Esther, and Valerie who are the newer members. She had also met the Professor a few times. This girl though she had only ever seen in pictures and this would be her first time meeting her.

"You are… Tosca, AX agent codenamed Phalanx."

Xenovia spoke with labored breathing. The girl nodded.

"That's a close one. I didn't expect Kokabiel to be the one behind this."

Nobody had expected it. Xenovia had considered that there was someone behind Freed and Valper since the theft was well-coordinated but at most, she figured that it would be someone from the radical side of the church or some other opportunist with mad idea. Those opponents she could likely handle or run from but Kokabiel? A name known throughout the supernatural world? She's not prepared for that.

"It seems that Sister Syokka's request to keep an eye on you is correct."

Xenovia chuckled. It looks like her master didn't fully trust her to handle the mission. She's a little disappointed at that but since her master's caution did save her, she won't complain much.

"So I guess you've been tailing us?"

Tosca nodded.

"Sister Syokka said that it's only a precaution. This is your first time leading a mission as an Inquisitor and first missions are always the most dangerous one. I was told to not interfere unless you need it."

Xenovia could understand that. First missions are always the one with the highest mortality rate. This is technically her official first mission as an independent Inquisitor. She's far from Europe and she is the one leading the mission while she's only fresh out of Inquisitor training. There are always things that could go wrong. It seems her master has great foresight.

"Thanks. I needed it… wait, what about Irina!?"

Xenovia asked while raising her voice. Unfortunately, Tosca shook her head.

"I couldn't find an opening to rescue her. She's now taken by Kokabiel. For what purpose, I don't know."

The Inquisitor sighs. She wanted to scream and curse but her training kicked in and she managed to keep her calm after a deep breath. Nothing can be done about it now. This day really couldn't get any better. Damn, what will she say to Haruka once he found out that she let his sister be kidnapped?

Xenovia tried to push herself off the floor in an attempt to stand up but sharp pain immediately surged from her hands and to her whole body as she fell back. She forgot for a moment that her arms are broken. Seeing that Xenovia is trying to get up, Tosca helped her. She put her arm around her shoulder and help her up.

"Thanks. Just place me somewhere where I can sit."

Fortunately, there's a lot of leftover chairs in the abandoned building. Tosca dropped Xenovia on one of the chairs as the blue haired Inquisitor took out her phone carefully from her pocket. She winced a little when she felt pain from even the slightest movement of her arm but she ignored it since she has more important things to do.

"I have to report this to master."

* * *

-Vatican, St Peter Basilica-

Another day filled with another pile of paperwork. Kaya really want to burn the mountain of papers to cinders but unfortunately, she couldn't. She has to read them and sign them and make sure there's no stupid or dangerous things included in the files. Stuff like those got mixed up or slipped in from time to time and a mistake in paperwork could result in a bureaucratic mess which she despises even more.

She misses the time when she's just an ordinary Inquisitor. Everything was much simpler when all you have to do is follow order and burn stuff. Her shoulder is stiff from all the signing and she's deathly bored. But someone has to deal with all of this bureaucratic nonsense.

Curse the radical side. If only they didn't get her old chief killed then he would be the one dealing with this crap, not her. The only time she can see herself doing this kind of crap is when she's old and retired from fighting, not now when she's still young and able to burn ultimate-class devils on a casual Sunday walk. Those bastards are worse than stray devils!

"Heh, when will this end?"

Kaya sighs as she put another piece of paper onto the signed pile. She was about to work on the next one when her phone rang. A distraction. Well anything is better than her boring paperwork. Putting down her pen, she picked up her phone from near the edge of her table and answered.

"Hello, Xenovia? How did the mission go? …wait, what? Did you just say…"

At that moment, Kaya changed her mind. More paperwork is better than the clusterfuck that is to come. Right now, she felt that she understood what Haruka experienced in London much better.

* * *

 **Poor Xenovia got trounced by Kokabiel and Irina was kidnapped. She would've been killed if it wasn't for Tosca though. Next chapter will be seen from the Devil side starting from after the meeting. The Kokabiel arc this time will be rather vicious with the plan I have in mind.**


End file.
